Juan Atkins, the pioneer of Detroit techno (and techno in general), has died.
On November 1, music publication Resident Advisor reported that Atkins was found unconscious in a Mexico City hotel where he was scheduled to perform. He died on the way to the hospital. He was 64 years old.
Atkins played electronic music first as part of the duo Cybertron, then under the pseudonym Model 500 and in the Infinity Project. According to legend, he was the first to use the term "techno", talking about the hard electronic sound of his tracks, when no techno scene existed.
Atkins was born in Detroit. He started using the famous Roland TR-808 drum machine while still in school, as well as the Korg MS-10 synthesizer. "I took a class called future studies, which dealt with the transition from an industrial society to a technological society. I simply applied many of these principles to my own music," writes the Guardian.
Together with Richard Davis as part of the Cybotron duo, Atkins released several tracks that became classics of the Detroit electronic scene: listen, for example, to Clear; The example from there is probably familiar to you. After the group broke up in 1985, Atkins began performing under the pseudonym Model 500 - here it is worth remembering the strips No UFOs and The Chase. Thanks for everything, legend!