Juan Atkins
A Collab Between Big Sean and Detroit Techno Legend Juan Atkins Is In the Works
It was exactly 20 years ago that Eminem famously proclaimed, “Nobody listens to techno,” but in 2022 the the worlds of hip-hop and electronic music are becoming more intertwined by the day. The latest narrative comes straight out of Slim Shady’s hometown of Detroit. Joining a group of legendary techno artists at a recent red carpet event, chart-topping rapper and Detroit native Big Sean laid the groundwork for what could result in a groundbreaking collaboration with pioneering DJ and producer Juan Atkins. “I’ve got some ideas,” Sean told Atkins as they exchanged numbers, according to the Detroit Free Press. Having just finished the screening of God Said Give ‘Em Drum Machines, a documentary exploring techno’s earliest innovators out of Motor City, ...
The Techno Six: New Documentary Spotlights Detroit’s Dance Music Pioneers
First, there were six. The term “techno” is often evocative of its European emblems, like Germany’s Berghain and Sweden’s Drumcode. So much so that techno music is widely considered to be one of the continent’s exports. But a new documentary seeks to firmly correct this history, tracing techno’s origins back to a cohort of six Black producers from Detroit: “the first cover boys of techno,” said Kristian Hill, a Detroit denizen and the director of God Said Give ‘Em Drum Machines, in an interview with EDM.com. He’s referring to Juan Atkins, Blake Baxter, Santonio Echols, Eddie Fowlkes, Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson, who were collectively featured on the cover of British music magazine Record Mirror in 1988. According to God Said Give ‘Em Drum Machin...
Creative Studio Creates Galactic Visual Representation of Electronic Music History
A U.K. creative studio has designed a unique vision of the etymology of modern electronic music. The Manchester-based studio, Dorothy, published “The Electronic System and The Alternative System,” two art prints that reimagine landmarks of our universe as prominent figures in the history of electronic and alternative music respectively. The electronic music-focused print features influential artists such as Daft Punk and the founder of ambient music, Brian Eno. The structure of the art not only highlights the genre’s most impactful contributors, but also draws attention to the influences that likely inspired each artist. Naturally, legendary German electronic outfit Kraftwerk are positioned firmly at the center of the universe, the sun. After forming in 1969, K...
Electronic music pioneer passes on
Florian Schneider, the co-founder of pioneering German electronic band ”Kraftwerk”, has died of cancer. His death was confirmed by his friend, co-founder of Kraftwerk Ralf Huetter who said he died from a short cancer disease just a few days after his 73rd birthday. Schneider and Huetter founded Kraftwerk in 1970 after meeting at a music academy in Duesseldorf, Germany. They are widely recognised as among the first to popularise electronic music with commercial success. With mesmerising tracks like ”Autobahn”, their work has influenced generations of pop and dance musicians. Kraftwerk has been a major influence for musicians ranging from Detroit techno star Juan Atkins to pop act the Pet Shop Boys and David Bowie. Get more stories like this on Twitter
