| JUAN
ATKINS (DJ & Producer)
|
Juan
is one of the three originators of Detoit techno as we know it today (the
other two being Derrick May & Kevin Saunderson)....there is a great deal
of info on Juan about, he is based in Detroit and produces (produced) music
under various pseudonyms such as Model 500, Infiniti, Infiniti Project,
Cybotron....it is extremely influential quality music, check it out for
yourself....rather than give you a load of blurb, here are some words from
the man himself, reproduced from an interview with Wired dated 06.26.94
The Roots of Techno[intro:] Berry Gordy's Motown may no longer rule the
airwaves, but Detroit has found a new beat. Since 1981, the compositions
of techno visionary Juan Atkins have sent shock waves through contemporary
music. On the heels of the German group Kraftwerk, he and partner Rick Davis
formed Cybotron, fusing austere European techno-pop with street-level funk.
In 1985, Atkins formed Metroplex Records, not knowing that his unique brand
of techno would soon inspire the anthems and soundtracks of the digital
age -- the latest world music. Wired spoke with Atkins about his early inspirations
and how they may bring about musical metamorphosis on a wider scale. His
current projects include the 12-inch single "I See the Light" (Metroplex,
Detroit) and the LP Sonic Sunset (R&S Records, Belgium), both under the
moniker "Model 500."
Wired: What is your definition of techno? Is it essentially a combination
of technology and funk?
Atkins: Yes. it's interesting, because I met Karl Bartos (formerly
of Kraftwerk) and he told me that one of his influences was James Brown.
Today, I think "techno" is a term to describe and introduce all kinds of
electronic music. In fact, there were a lot of electronic musicians around
when Cybotron started, and I think maybe half of them referred to their
music as "techno." However, the public really wasn't ready for it until
about '85 or '86. It just so happened that Detroit was there when people
really got into it.
W: What separates Detroit techno from other music, like Chicago's
house movement?
A: It's always been about insight and forward thinking. It goes as
far as the science fiction I was into early on and the class I took in high
school called "Future Studies." One of the textbooks I had to read was Alvin
Toffler's _Future Shock_. Also, Detroit is unlike any other city in the
transitions it has endured. When your surroundings change, you go through
change.
W: You've said elsewhere that the term "techno" was partially taken
from Toffler's term "techno-rebels" in _The Third Wave_ -- those who didn't
see the need for technology to be overwhelming or alienating. Does this
concept have anything to do with techno's use of older analog synthesizers
or keeping the production of vinyl alive?
A: We never tried to apply any of those principles. The Third Wave
was only inspirational, although we did use hybrid words like "cybotron"
and "metroplex," and Toffler spoke of these futuristic combinations.
W: Techno-rebels notwithstanding, some technologies are absorbed
very quickly into our culture. Does it surprise you how slowly the United
States has embraced electronic music, dance-oriented or otherwise?
A: Not surprised, really. Disappointed is the word. I was more surprised
when I first went to Europe and found that white kids could enjoy dance
music. In this country it's very hard for creative thought to escape capitalism.
W: How then do you explain the emergence of Detroit as an aesthetic
Mecca for electronic dance music, as opposed to larger cities like New York
and LA?
A: Let's remember Detroit is representative of the whole Industrial
Revolution. When that came to a close, it was the first place hit. And because
of its lack of status, it's a lot more depressed than other areas. That
forces people to be creative.
W: This creativity and work ethic, although a social requirement
of sorts, hasn't led to real status in the American music industry. Why
is it that you and other Detroit techno artists aren't officially recognized
as high-caliber musicians and producers?
A: You have to wonder how, with as much press as we have received
worldwide, why we still don't have a proper record deal. (Pauses.) Maybe
in the marketing departments out there, there really are people who think
that a white techno act is more marketable than a black one... I don't know.
W: What do you think is the problem with the way music is presented
to the masses?
A: There has to be a revolution in radio in America. Instead of me
complaining, I'd rather take an active role as a program director and change
all that. If I'm the only guy to take a station and set an example, then
that's what I'll do. I can also guarantee that this station would be Number
One in its market within a year.
W: There are signs of this "neo-urban" music starting to flourish:
LA's _URB Magazine_, more and more stateside techno tours. Is this the kind
of movement you're hoping for?
A: Yes. Definitely. There is no outlet for (techno artists). Right
now they put out 12-inch singles and sell 2,000 to 3,000 copies and get
discouraged. The basic problem is that in America, if you don't fit into
a radio format, you don't really exist.
W: Given the structured and commercial nature of radio, do you see
those conventions bending to variety and innovation? Even public radio seems
to be "going corporate" these days.
A: However I have to get into radio -- digital cable FM, low-power
radio -- that's what I'll do. I want to see techno take off on a major level,
and I don't agree that as soon as the money comes in, it will dilute the
quality of the music.
W: You've said that people are ready for something different, that
they have caught up with technology to a certain degree. What kind of encouragement
do you have that radio will not continue to stagnate?
A: There was a time seven or eight years ago when you could go into
a city and four out of five people didn't know what a sequencer was. Now
maybe one out of five doesn't. There is a ton of music here, kids are buying
Roland and Korg keyboards. And what are they doing? They're not making ballads!
Metroplex Records:
fax +1 (313)-963-0213 Interview conducted by Don Sicko, who is a programmer/analyst
and freelance writer, reproduced from WIRED |
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