In 1981, The Electrifying Mojo debuted proto-techno tracks like “ Shari Vari ” by A Number Of Names and Cybotron’s “ Alleys Of Your Mind ”.
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After that, he picked up the Pro One by Sequential Circuits, a mini version of their famous Prophet 5 synthesiser. He’d already been playing bass in garage funk bands as a teen, and spotted the synth in a back room at a music shop called Brunel’s during a visit there with his grandmother. “ Clear ” by Cybotron, (AKA Juan Atkins and Rik Davis) is another pivotal track in the electro world, which we’ll come back to later.Ī young Juan Atkins managed to convince his grandmother to buy him a Korg MS10, which he used for his earliest experiments. Tracks like “Numbers and “ Trans-Europe Express ” inspired Arthur Baker and Afrika Bambaataa to produce “ Planet Rock ”, giving birth to electro, a precursor to techno. Interestingly, Detroit groups The Stooges and MC5 were among Kraftwerk’s early influences, as was Motown Records, according to the group’s later member Karl Bartos. Kraftwerk are considered the godfathers of techno, and contemporary electronic music. New wave, industrial and eighties electronic acts were highly influential at the time as well as bands like the B-52s, whose “Mesopotamia” was a favourite of Mojo’s. Numan’s “ Cars ” a fitting anthem for the city’s automotive pulse. His shows were pivotal to the birth of techno, introducing pioneers like Juan Atkins and Carl Craig to programmed electronic beats, and new wave innovators like Gary Numan and Depeche Mode. As Captain of the mothership he would take listeners on a four-hour long odyssey of music and themed segments, presenting his audience with a broad selection from Prince b-sides and rarities, to Kraftwerk’s “ Numbers ”, Parliament’s “ Flashlight ” and much much more. Later, it was the Electrifying Mojo who became Detroit’s foremost influence with his show on WGPR-FM. Tracks like First Choice “ Love Thang ” and Cerrone “ Supernature ” inspiring young Kevin. During those trips he made it to the Paradise Garage, where Larry Levan kept the dance floor ignited with disco and proto-house cuts all night long. After moving to Detroit when he was nine, Kevin would still visit New York every summer as his brothers were still living there. The disco influence was especially pertinent for techno pioneer Kevin Saunderson, who lived in New York when he was a kid. Legendary DJs such as Ken Collier primed the city for its first wave of techno, with the 4×4 heartbeat of disco pumping away on the dance floors of clubs such as Pink Poodle, Millie’s and Flamingo. From Martha and the Vandellas’ hit “ Dancing in the Street ” to “ The Tracks Of My Tears ” by Smokey Robinson, Gordy’s label was a hit factory, pushing out one big song after another, modeled on the production lines at the car factories that dominated industry in Detroit.ĭisco DJs and funk bands preceded the birth of Detroit techno, both integral to the city’s Black club culture in the years before techno arrived. Going all the way back to Berry Gordy’s Motown, there’s a distinct attitude and rhythm that exists only in Detroit. The history of Detroit techno is populated by the influence of Black electronic music, but also determined by European electronic pioneers and ignited by the socio-economic and cultural circumstances of Motor City itself. 40 years later, the music he christened “techno” has branched off into numerous styles and sub-genres, but the ethos remains the same: futurism, optimism, escape, catharsis and people dancing in unity to the electronic beats. Crumbling Motor City became glistening Techno City, as Atkins channeled elements of funk and soul through automated beats into innovative electronic compositions that migrated over the Atlantic to Europe as part of an ongoing cultural exchange. Inspired by the work of futurist Alvin Toffler, whose book Future Shock he studied at school, Atkins, still only in his teens, set about creating music that could transport listeners to an imagined future. In the decaying post-industrial Midwestern city of Detroit, a young Black man by the name of Juan Atkins manifested an escape hatch into the future with the aid of his Korg MS10 synth.
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