One of music's most important pioneers has passed away. Juan Atkins, widely recognized as one of the co-founders of Detroit Techno, passed away over the weekend. According to a social media post from his management company, Greensmith Artists.
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Juan Atkins, Techno Pioneer Dead at 64
Atkins remained active in the music scene. The techno music co-founder was slated to perform at Yu Yu Club in Mexico City on Saturday Night (October 31). He was 64 years old.
Atkins impact on the Techno music scene was documented from an early age. At 18 years old, he and longtime collaborator Richard "3070" Davis had become household names. Because of how they took a little funk and mixed it with electronic and futuristic sound to create an unheard genre — Techno music.
Some of Davis and Atkins' early works, such as Alleys of the Mind, Cosmic Radiance, and The Line, made their names recognizable in the music industry. However, it was their 1983 smash hit, Clear, that catapulted them to music superstardom.
Despite originally being released as an underground track, Clear became an instant mainstream success, selling more than 50,000 copies.
Juan Opens Up About Rise of Techno Music
Even though Techno didn't officially get recognized as a genre until the release of Clear, Atkins said that is how he has always defined his style of music.
"When you listen to Chicago records, a lot of them sounded like Philly International records," Atkins told Pitchfork back in 2005. "They were always like the Philly International disco sound. Going 'ks-ks-ks-ks...' you know! That's the whole difference. In Detroit, we don't have any real reference point. All the Detroit stuff was pure futuristic."
Atkins said that Detroit's sound had developed its own identity unlike. And that was intentional. Because they were in competition with other DJs from their neighboring states.
"The only thing that we really had in common was the form... There was definitely competition between the Chicago and the Detroit DJs," he said to the outlet. "We all wanted to be famous. But we were also friends, Tyree Cooper and all of these guys. Farley was a good friend. We went to Farley in Chicago just to hang out, and they came to Detroit."
Atkins was 64 years old.
