Juan Atkins, pioneering Detroit DJ and producer widely credited with helping create techno and giving the genre its name, has died aged 64.

Juan Atkins, the Detroit DJ and producer who helped invent techno and gave the genre its name, has died at the age of 64. His management company, Greensmith Artists, confirmed the news on Instagram on Sunday, November 1. Atkins was found unresponsive in his hotel room in Mexico City ahead of a scheduled set on October 31 at YuYu Cine Club, and was pronounced dead at hospital shortly afterwards. An official cause of death has not yet been confirmed.

Tributes From the Techno Community

Kevin Saunderson, Atkins’ fellow member of the Belleville Three, led the tributes on social media, describing him as his brother and the originator of techno. He called Atkins a true visionary who opened the door for so many artists, himself included, and recalled how Atkins once showed him how to finish his first track, Triangle of Love. Saunderson said that moment meant a lot to him then and still does today.

From Belleville to Cybotron

Born in Detroit on September 12, 1962, Atkins moved to Belleville, Michigan after his parents separated. He played guitar and bass in funk bands as a kid, and at 15 he bought his first synthesizer, a Korg MS-10. In junior high he met Derrick May and Saunderson, and the three shared gear, studio space and production duties, becoming known as the Belleville Three. His influences ranged from Kraftwerk and Parliament-Funkadelic to the writing of Alvin Toffler and Detroit radio DJ The Electrifying Mojo.

In 1980 he formed Cybotron with Richard “3070” Davis. Their 1983 single Clear, taken from the album Enter, climbed from underground favourite to mainstream success, selling 50,000 copies and later being sampled by Missy Elliott.

Model 500 and the Birth of “Techno”

When Cybotron split in 1985, Atkins launched the Metroplex imprint and released No UFO’s as Model 500, a track credited with carrying Detroit techno across the Atlantic. Three years later, his track Techno Music gave the genre the name it still carries today.

Still Playing to the End

Atkins remained an active presence on the circuit right up until his death. Over his final two years he was booked everywhere from New York to Berlin, and appeared on festival bills including Movement in Detroit, Dekmantel in Amsterdam and Houghton in England.

Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and everyone who has been touched by his music.