No one person can take credit for inventing techno, but Juan Atkins comes close. The Detroit native created what’s arguably the genre’s first song, 1981’s “Alleys Of Your Mind”, in his duo Cybotron; he also gave the classification its name and masterminded the nexus of urbanism, science fiction and escapism that gave this essentially Motor City sound its philosophical underpinnings. Born in 1962, Atkins bought his first synth as a teenager and soon teamed up with fellow Detroiter Richard Davis, an electronic experimenter with a studio full of gear. The duo’s early singles, including 1982’s “Cosmic Cars” and “Clear”, blew up on local radio and soon were winning converts overseas, paving the way for techno’s international spread. In 1985, Atkins went solo as Model 500, further developing the futurist aesthetic at techno’s core.