Techno pioneer Juan Atkins dies at 64
The Detroit producer and co-founder of Cybotron was scheduled to perform in Mexico City before his death was announced Sunday.
By Bianca Herrera ·
Juan Atkins, the producer who helped define the sound of techno music, has died. His booking agency confirmed the news on Sunday. Atkins was 64 years old. He is widely credited with building the genre alongside his peers in suburban Detroit during the 1980s.
Collaborator Kevin Saunderson confirmed the passing on his Facebook page. He described Atkins as the originator of the genre and a visionary who opened doors for many artists. "Juan was the originator of Techno, a true visionary who opened the door for so many of us, myself included," Saunderson wrote.
Atkins was set to play a set at the club Yu Yu in Mexico City on Saturday. The venue canceled the appearance on its Instagram page just before news of his death became public. He remained an active DJ at clubs and festivals throughout his career.
The roots of the music trace back to 1981, when Atkins formed the duo Cybotron with Richard Davis. The two met at a community college in the Detroit area. In 1983, they released "Clear," a robotic dance track that became a staple in clubs and on boomboxes.
Atkins developed the sound with friends from Belleville High School, located about 35 miles west of downtown Detroit. They drew inspiration from Kraftwerk, electro, and house music. They also listened to the eclectic broadcasts of radio DJ The Electrifying Mojo. Atkins, Saunderson, and Derrick May became known as the Belleville Three.
May spoke to the Detroit Metro Times last year about the group's dynamic. He said he followed Atkins and his brother Aaron, who would skip school to listen to jazz. "I was so impressed and enamored with Juan and Aaron that I just followed them, man. I just became Juan’s disciple," May said.
The group's commercial breakthrough came through Saunderson's act, Inner City. The band released "Big Fun" and "Good Life" in 1988. Those tracks became major hits in the United States and the United Kingdom. This success helped establish the Belleville Three as international stars just as the Berlin Wall fell.
Atkins continued to shape the genre through Cybotron's 1984 release, "Techno City." The song reflected his interest in Alvin Toffler's book "The Third Wave" and the digital future of Detroit. The group later found a large audience in Europe, a market that eventually became the center of the techno scene. The Belleville Three sometimes expressed frustration that European fans claimed the genre as their own.
In 2005, pop star Missy Elliott sampled "Clear" for her song "Lose Control," bringing Detroit techno to a wider mainstream audience. In 2023, Atkins reunited Cybotron with Berlin producer Laurens von Oswald. They released new music on the Tresor label. The Detroit Pistons also released clothing that honored the Belleville Three this past January. The trio stated in a joint release that their work started in Detroit, citing the city's people and clubs as the source of their energy.
Other artists reacted to the news on social media. DJ Carl Cox said he heard the news with a heavy heart and that "Clear" never left his soul. German producer Sven Väth called the death heartbreaking. He said on Instagram that Atkins' vision built a bridge between Detroit and Berlin and that he was truly ahead of his time.
