Juan Atkins has died at the age of 64. His agency, Greensmith Artists, confirmed to Resident Advisor that the musician was found unconscious in a hotel room in Mexico City shortly before he was due to perform. He was later taken to hospital, where his death was certified.
Atkins emerged from Detroit’s post-industrial landscape in the early 1980s and helped imagine a new musical future. With Richard Davis, he formed Cybotron, producing a hard, machine-driven form of electro that combined dancefloor energy with science-fiction imagery and social ideas. He later continued under the alias Model 500.
His debut album with Cybotron, Enter, brought together the futuristic funk of Parliament and Funkadelic, the electronic work of Herbie Hancock and the influence of Kraftwerk. Tracks such as Cosmic Cars and Clear became classics, while Atkins was the first to use the word “techno” to describe the emerging style.
Born in Detroit in 1962, Atkins moved with his family to Belleville, Michigan, where he met Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson. The three became known as the Belleville Three. While still at school, Atkins began working with increasingly accessible equipment, including the Roland TR-808 drum machine and Korg MS-10 synthesizer. A class on the transition from industrial to technological society also influenced his approach to music.
Cybotron split in 1985, and Atkins pursued a solo career as Model 500. His releases included the foundational tracks No UFO’s and The Chase. That same year, he founded Metroplex, a Detroit label that later released music by artists including Anthony Shakir and DJ Bone.
Atkins also helped establish a musical connection between Detroit and Berlin. His relationship with Tresor Records began in 1992 and led to important releases such as Skynet, recorded under the name Infiniti. He also collaborated that year with 3MB on the track commonly known as Magic Juan Atkins.
During the 1990s, Atkins refined his sound through Infiniti as the scene he had helped inspire became firmly established. In the following decade he released less frequently, but formed Borderland with Moritz von Oswald, producing albums in 2013 and 2016. In 2023, he revived Cybotron with new music and live performances.
His influence extended well beyond techno. Clear has been sampled by numerous artists, and Missy Elliott used it as the foundation for Lose Control, which reached number three on the US Billboard chart in 2005. Atkins also insisted that his music carried a social purpose. “I make social statements,” he said in 2024, arguing that his lyrics were intended to encourage thought beyond dancing and romance.
Tributes followed his death from fellow musicians and friends. Kevin Saunderson described Atkins as a visionary who opened the door for many artists, including himself, and recalled Atkins helping him complete his first record, Triangle of Love. Derrick May remembered that Atkins avoided complaints and ego, concentrating instead on his work.
Chicago DJ and producer Derrick Carter also recalled Atkins’s generosity during a 1989 studio session. Carter, then 19, had travelled to Detroit with Mark Farina and Chris Nazuka to record for Saunderson’s KMS label. When they discovered that their eight-track tape had to be transferred to a 16-track machine, Atkins explained how the recording could be read without starting again. Carter said the guidance left a lasting impression.
For Detroit producer Moodymann, Atkins represented more than one member of the city’s celebrated “big three” alongside Saunderson and May. In a tribute video, he called Atkins “the big one”, presenting him as the central figure in the origins of techno and electronic club music.
Sources: elDiario.es.