The electronic music community is mourning the loss of Juan Atkins, a founding father of techno.
Atkins was found unresponsive in his hotel room in Mexico City on Saturday (Oct. 31) ahead of a scheduled performance at YuYu Cine Club, according to Resident Advisor. He was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving. He was 64.
Atkins made his name as part of the Belleville Three, the trio made up of him, Kevin Saunderson and Derrick May that’s widely credited for creating techno in 1980s Detroit. In this same era Atkins linked with fellow producer Richard Davis to form the electronic duo Cybotron. The group’s 1983 debut album, Enter, featured the futuristic “Clear,” which reached No. 52 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs on Oct. 8, 1983. The track ranked No. 77 on Billboard‘s list of the 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time and was also sampled on Missy Elliott’s Timbaland-produced 2005 hit “Lose Control.” Working under the Model 500 alias, Atkins’ “No UFO’s” reached No. 36 on Dance Singles Sales in 1985.
Beyond these highlights, Atkins’ catalog was not just vast but foundational, as he co-created and shaped a genre through his productions and live sets that took music at large further into the future. Decades-old Atkins productions still sound like they’ve come from deep space; it is work that has influenced, as fellow techno legend Kenny Larkin wrote in his remembrance, “every single one of you who does techno.”
Here, producers and event brands across the genre and beyond are remembering Atkins and his immeasurable influence.
