Rooted in the stiff synth and drum-machine minimalism of German innovators Kraftwerk and the Electro-Funk of DJ icon Afrika Bambaataa, Techno emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1980s. Detroit innovators Kevin Saunderson, Juan Atkins and Derrick May composed an electronic blueprint of repetitions, minor melodies, and mechanical textures. This electronic style has mutated -- and continues to mutate -- into new forms through fragmentation and cross-pollination with various digital styles.
