This weekend just gone, we lost Juan Atkins. Known as The Originator, he pioneered the foundation of techno music in the 80s with his vision to fuse the futuristic electronic sounds of Kraftwerk with the raw funk vibe of Parliament / Funkadelic. Indeed, the name “techno” itself comes from Juan.

The result was something new, the influence resonating throughout modern culture 50 year later in ways that are impossible to quantify. His legacy there every time we turn on the radio, and in the festivals and clubs attended by millions of people every year.

Together with Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson, collectively known as The Belleville Three, and others from Detroit including Blake Baxter and Eddie Fowlkes, Juan took Europe by storm on the seminal 1988 compilation Techno! (The New Dance Sound Of Detroit). Perhaps not household names, but these people changed the world.

Releasing classic records such as Clear, Cosmic Cars or Alleys of Your Mind under his alias Cybotron. Or others including Future, Off To Battle, No UFO’s, Night Drive (Thru Babylon) or I Wanna Be There as Model 500. He also remixed many tracks, such as Good Life and Do You Love What You Feel by Inner City (an alias of Saunderson); Wiggin by Derrick May; or Jazz Is the Teacher by 3MB.

Beyond simply making music, Juan was determined that Black musicians would keep the creative rights and control over their work. He was not satisfied with the idea of selling their work to (primarily white-owned) labels; in 1985 he founded Metroplex, releasing records of his own and his contemporaries in Detroit. Later, Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson would set up their own labels, inspired by this same goal of Black ownership of Black art.

Rest in peace, Juan. Never had the privilege of seeing you play, but your impact on my life was immense.