The Fathers Of Techno – The Fathers Of Techno

The origin of Techno, Detroit and its precursors

Detroit's Techno Underground

Although it is a musical movement associated with Europe, music techno It was invented in Detroit and its suburbs in the early 1980s by three young African Americans armed with drum machines, futuristic ideals and a fondness for Kraftwerk, the German electropop group that pioneered popularizing the electronic music.

Detroit is considered the main stage of the birth of Techno and where a development divided into two waves of artists takes place. The first one emerges in the 80s by the hand of John Atkins, Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson, three African-American students considered the fathers of the genre.

This generation was influenced by the industrial culture of the time and the economic recession, which brought with it a series of racial conflicts that marked its protagonists. They were in a time of transition, automation and the appearance of computers. To give you an idea, when employees came home they told their children that they were working with robots. You could say that they were living the transition towards a new technological model.

These three gentlemen, known as "The Fathers of Techno«, also called «The Belleville Three"They met at their local high school. They began to show interest in Electrifying Mojo. Thanks to your radio program, at that time, managed to capture the interest of young people with the electronic music that is emitted: Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode, New Order or Giorgio Moroder.

This radio was a real discovery at the time, as it showed programming that was very different from the sounds of the time. It clearly went against the current, launching sounds towards freedom. Electrifying Mojo He was the one who decided whether a record would be introduced into Detroit or not. Let's say it acted as a "Musical Customs." Later, this radio was the key piece for the works of art of African-American artists to start a cultural revolution.

John Atkins, Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson They used whatever technology they could get their hands on to pioneer an avant-garde sound comprised of synthesizers and dance beats. In the process, they kick-started one of the essential musical movements of the 20th century. Juan, known as “The Creator,” was the first to acquire a synthesizer. During his high school years, he learned to read and write. write music. This was considered the most influential, as his acquaintances said that he was on another level and, of course, he changed the lives of many people. His first work was Cybotron, which he developed together with Rick Davis. They are the creators of the first proto-techno track, dating back to 1982. Atkins, later he left the project to pursue a solo career. That's where the real wave of the TECHNO UNDERGROUND from Detroit.

Kevin Saunderson, aka “The Elevator,” was the man in charge of spreading the music to the masses. He contributed a lot of mixes and hybrids in style. He became interested in music after accompanying Derrick to some clubs in Chicago and New York, where house music predominated. He was one of the first to succeed outside the US with his big project Inner City and the topic Big FunWithout him, techno wouldn't be what it is today.

Kevin and Derrick became best buddies after Kevin punched Derrick hard when they were both 14, following a schoolyard dispute. From then on, they became best friends. Pretty touching, right?

Derrick, aka “The Innovator” would look for any sound system he could get his hands on and turn it into a big party marathon. He was very outgoing and the result of extrapolating that to music… WAS THE BEST!

The birth of Techno

John Atkins made his own the word "Techno", which comes from Alvin Toffler's book Future Shock. These guys were, are and will be The Fathers of Techno and Techno Rebels. They armed themselves with the technology of the time and made it their own. Atkins made a compilation called The House Music of Detroit, its main theme was Techno Music. When they heard it, they decided to change the name and it became The Techno Sound of DetroitOn the cover of the compilation, the last name chosen appears in large letters as a sign of expression.

Imagine that you lived in that time, where everything was slower, the passivity of the environment invades you and you live in a more than static city. This music broke your schemes completely. Enlightening sounds aimed at the same freedom. It combined the heritage of funk African-American from the USA with European electronic music and the use of synthesizers from the seventies.

Simply,THE FATHERS OF TECHNO THEY WERE VISIONARY AND INSPIRING MINDS WITH A DESIRE TO EVOLVE AND FLY!