Juan Atkins | |
---|---|
![]() Atkins performing as Model 500 at DEMF in 2007 | |
Background information | |
Also known as |
|
Born | [1] Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | September 12, 1962
Genres | Detroit techno [2] |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1980–present |
Labels |
Juan Atkins (born September 12, 1962), [1] also known as Model 500 and Infiniti, [3] is an American record producer and DJ [4] from Detroit, Michigan. [5] Mixmag has described him as "the original pioneer of Detroit techno." [2] He has been a member of the Belleville Three, [6] Cybotron, [7] and Borderland. [8]
Juan Atkins was born in Detroit, Michigan. [1] His father is a concert promoter. [9] At an early age, he played guitar and bass guitar in funk/garage bands with his friends. [9] After his parents split, he moved to Belleville, Michigan. [9] In junior high school, he met Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson. [10] The three would later be known as the Belleville Three. [10] At the age of 15, he bought his first synthesizer, a Korg MS-10. [5]
Juan Atkins formed Cybotron with Richard Davis in 1980. [11] The duo's debut studio album, Enter , was released in 1983. [12] Atkins and Davis split ways in 1985. [13]
In 1985, Atkins founded the record label Metroplex. [12] In that year, he started making solo records under the alias Model 500. [9] As Model 500, he released Deep Space in 1995, [14] Mind and Body in 1999, [14] and Digital Solutions in 2015. [14]
He is also one half of the duo Borderland along with Moritz von Oswald. [15] The duo released Borderland in 2013 [16] and Transport in 2016. [16]
In 2015, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Metroplex, Juan Atkins collaborated with VAVA Eyewear. [17] [18]
Juan Atkins has stated that George Clinton's bands Parliament and Funkadelic were important to his musical awakening. [5] He grew up listening to The Electrifying Mojo's radio shows. [5] He also acknowledged Kraftwerk as one of the influences on his music. [19] Mixmag has described him as "the original pioneer of Detroit techno." [2] Stylistically, he drew upon dystopian science fiction narratives to construct his sonic landscapes. [20]