03.11.2026

Atkins’ ‘Techno Music’ appeared on the 1988 compilation ‘Techno! The New Dance Sound of Detroit’, and he later recorded with Moritz von Oswald as Borderland. He appeared at Four Decades of Detroit Techno in Amsterdam on October 23 alongside Octave One, Kenny Larkin and DJ Pierre, and was scheduled to perform in Mexico City on October 31. Born in Detroit in 1962, he recorded as Model 500 and founded the Metroplex label in 1985.

The article notes that he was pronounced dead at a hospital and that the cause of death has not been disclosed. He is considered one of the founders of Detroit techno, forming the Belleville Three with Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson in the early 1980s. In 1980 he founded Cybotron with Richard Davis, and in 1985 he released ‘No UFO’s’ as Model 500 and launched the Metroplex label. His ties to Berlin ran through Tresor Records, which released many of his productions, including those under the Infiniti alias, and through his Borderland project with Moritz von Oswald.

According to Pitchfork, Atkins reportedly suffered a heart attack, although no official cause of death has been given. The article says he had struggled for decades with the effects of a serious diabetes condition. Born in Detroit on September 12, 1962, he grew up in Belleville, where he met May and Saunderson, and at 15 he owned a Korg MS-10. Kevin Saunderson called him his ‘brother’ in a farewell message, while Derrick May said Atkins never complained and never mentioned how ill he was.

The article reports that Atkins was found unresponsive in his hotel room in Mexico City and later pronounced dead at a hospital. Through Cybotron, which he formed with Richard Davis in 1980, he recorded tracks such as ‘Alleys of Your Mind’, and the 1983 release ‘Clear’ helped set a new direction for electronic music. Launching Model 500 and Metroplex Records in 1985, he produced ‘No UFOs’, which the article describes as one of the defining records of Detroit techno. His track ‘Techno Music’ appeared on the landmark 1988 compilation that helped give the genre its name.

Juan Atkins and Richard Davis began working together in Cybotron in 1980, and their track ‘Clear’ came out three years later. Under the Model 500 alias he released ‘No UFO’s’, which combines sparse drum machine beats, hypnotic basslines and futuristic vocals. Atkins also worked with Moritz von Oswald on the Borderland project, whose track ‘Lightyears’ appeared in 2016 on the album ‘Transport’ on Tresor Records. Together with Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson, known as the Belleville Three, he laid the foundations for a movement that conquered the world from Detroit.

Atkins’ management confirmed the news to Resident Advisor on November 1, and no cause of death has been given. His longtime friend Kevin Saunderson paid tribute on Instagram, calling him the ‘originator of Techno’ and recalling how Atkins helped him finish his first record, ‘Triangle of Love’. Atkins met Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson in junior high school and formed Cybotron with Richard Davis, and in 1985 his ‘No UFOs’ provided a blueprint for the Detroit techno sound. His 1988 track ‘Techno Music’, featured on the Virgin Records compilation, helped give the genre its name.

Greensmith Artists confirmed the news on November 1, and Atkins was pronounced dead after being taken to hospital. He had been scheduled to play at YuYu Cine Club and was 64 years old. Atkins formed Cybotron with Richard Davis in 1980 and released the album ‘Enter’ in 1983, featuring tracks such as ‘Clear’ and ‘Alleys Of Your Mind’. In a 2019 interview with DJ Mag, he said: ‘Technology is nice, but we don’t wanna become total robots.’