Juan Atkins dies at 64: techno pioneer remembered as dance world pays tribute

Detroit techno pioneer Juan Atkins has died aged 64. The man often called the godfather of techno was found unresponsive in a hotel room in Mexico City before a show, his agency confirmed.

What happened to Juan Atkins?

Atkins was in Mexico City to play a show at YuYu Cine Club. He was found unresponsive in his hotel room over the weekend, taken to hospital and later pronounced dead. His agency, Greensmith Artists, confirmed the news to Resident Advisor on Sunday. No cause of death has been given.

Why was Juan Atkins so important?

Born in Detroit in 1962, Atkins formed the “Belleville Three” with school friends Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson, and together they created the sound of Detroit techno.

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With Richard Davis he formed Cybotron, whose tracks included Cosmic Cars and Clear. Missy Elliott later sampled Clear on her hit Lose Control. Recording as Model 500, he released No UFOs in 1985, which Mixmag calls the blueprint for the Detroit techno sound. His 1988 track Techno Music appeared on a Virgin Records compilation that helped give the genre its name.

He also founded the Metroplex label and brought Cybotron back in 2023.

Tributes to Juan Atkins

Kevin Saunderson wrote on Instagram: “Juan was the originator of Techno, a true visionary who opened the door for so many of us, myself included.”

Fatboy Slim called him “a true pioneer”, Kelly Lee Owens described him as a “techno king”, and Luke Slater said he was “totally in shock”.

Sources: NME, Mixmag, Resident Advisor. Photo: Brandon Daniel / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.