FAREWELL JUAN ATKINS: THE FUTURE BEGAN WITH A SYNTHESIZER
Before becoming one of techno’s defining names, he was a boy curious about music. His story takes in a grandmother, an instrument shop and school friends. And it travels a very long way.
Some artists are familiar faces; others reach us mainly through their echoes. We may have danced to music carrying their influence without knowing their names. Juan Atkins belongs to that second story: someone who helps create a language, then watches it travel in other people’s hands.
His death was announced on 1 November 2026. The agency Greensmith Artists confirmed the news: the producer and DJ was in Mexico City for a planned appearance at YuYu Cine Club. Alongside the grief of those who knew him, a question remains even for those unfamiliar with electronic music: what had he heard before so many others?
A grandmother and the curiosity to try
To get closer to him, it helps to return to a memory he told himself. In an interview recorded in 2010 and preserved in Red Bull Music Academy’s archives, Atkins described trying synthesizers in an instrument shop. He visited in connection with his grandmother’s organ and eventually persuaded her to buy him a synthesizer.
He began building sounds and musical demos with it, experimenting with rhythm parts too. As a youngster he had already played bass and guitar in funk bands. The machine offered another possibility: working alone without having to gather other musicians every time.
That detail brings his story close. Before recognition comes someone trying, listening and starting again. And an adult makes a purchase possible. We do not know what his grandmother imagined for him; we know how far that first opportunity for curiosity would take him.
Three friends, many influences, no ready-made formula
Atkins grew up in Detroit and moved to Belleville in his teens. At school he met Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson. They would become the Belleville Three, names associated with the birth of Detroit techno. Their connection did not erase their artistic differences, but helped create a setting in which to share music and possibilities.
His influences crossed genres, bringing George Clinton’s funk together with Kraftwerk’s electronics. Radio DJ Electrifying Mojo’s broadcasts helped circulate unusual listening. The Detroit Historical Society preserves this story as part of the city’s cultural identity.
There is something lovely in remembering that new music can also emerge from listening to others. We do not have to imagine an original voice isolated from everything else: encounters between different kinds of curiosity often allow it to take shape.
From Cybotron to Model 500
With Richard Davis, also known as Rik, Atkins formed Cybotron. ‘Alleys of Your Mind’, released in 1981, and ‘Clear’, from 1983, are two essential entry points: synthesizers, electronic rhythm and an imagination directed towards the future.
In 1985 came the Model 500 project and ‘No UFO’s’, while Metroplex became the label through which he released music. The names changed; the exploration continued. His influence crossed the Atlantic and found an important audience in Europe, helping a sound from the Detroit area spread.
Calling him a pioneer means something when we give that word substance: working while the route was still undefined, seeking an audience for new music and leaving examples and tools for later artists. It does not mean giving one person all the credit. This is a collective story too.
Where should you start listening?
If his name is new to you, there is no exam to prepare for. Start with ‘Clear’, move to ‘No UFO’s’ and then ‘Techno Music’, included on the 1988 British compilation Techno! The New Dance Sound of Detroit. Three titles to help navigate Cybotron, Model 500 and the international circulation of that musical language.
Listen for one detail at a time: the bass line, a repeating sound, elements entering and disappearing. It is an invitation rather than a rule. You might love it, feel less enthusiastic or be curious enough to open another track. That is an encounter with an artist too.
The gesture that leaves room for possibility
Remembering him, we can choose to spend time with the work: play a record again, read an interview, recognise the creators of music we may once have heard distractedly. These are simple ways to give gratitude substance without turning a person into a legend stripped of detail.
Among those details, the synthesizer his grandmother bought remains striking. It brings to mind talents growing when someone gives them a chance: an instrument, a room, patient listening. Juan Atkins made music from that opportunity. For countless others, that music then became somewhere to begin.
