Try as we might, music is almost impossible to capture in words. The slippery meaning and nuance of each note can’t quite be nailed down on paper, can’t quite be defined in one simple sentence.
‘Minimalism’ though, is perhaps the most mis-used phrase of all. Initially corresponding to a specific moment, rupture within the classical sphere, it has become a catch-all phrase that applies to many different genres. Juan Atkins aka The Originator has frequently been referred to as an artist that specialises in minimalism, with his techno masterpieces bonding small blocks of sound into vast, future-leaning structures.
“Minimalism means, to me, less is more,” he explains to Clash. “Living with less to discover more. And in music terms, in music composition, I think that the term means using less. It's not about the notes, it's about the space between the notes.”
A founder component of the Belleville Three – techno’s founding triptych – Juan Atkins is set to perform in London later this month at Minimalism, a new venture between Gabriel Prokofiev's Nonclassical and Paris' MARATHON! That links the roots of techno with minimalist pioneers such as Steve Reich.
Flying in especially to play the night, Juan wants to plug into a broader network but retain his own identity. “My style is Juan Atkins, and I think when people book me to play, that's what they want – they want me to be Juan Atkins,” he states. “I guess whatever that Juan Atkins spice, I guess you could say, adds to the meal... that's what they want. Just like turmeric or ginger or cinnamon – I'm a spice. And if that's required in your meal then I'm willing to be that spice.”
Although both techno and minimalism share obsessions with technology, with small repeating phrases, it seems that these similarities are coincidental, tangential movements within music. “I don't really have a very complicated mission other than to present a music which is art, and my interpretation,” he says. “I'm not pushing for any type of agenda, or anything, I just happen to be fortunate enough to be one of the first people to push electronic music.”
“My mind is open to just about everything,” he adds, “and I love all styles of music and if you listen to my radio station – Deepspaceradio.com – you can see the whole thing that I'm about is crossing barriers. Presenting different audiences with different styles. Hoping people have open minds.”
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Juan Atkins has always sought to remain true to himself, to the factors that first caused him to seek out Parliament records and Kraftwerk imports. “I compose music,” he says simply. “I started to do it, and my whole life is about music, because I love music. That's my life. I eat, breathe and sleep music – and that's something that's never going to change. Probably to the end.”
“So therefore, it's not so much about keeping up with trends and trying to stay ahead of the curve, I just do what I love,” the producer adds. “I happen to be at the forefront of a technological revolution, so I'm a technician, I guess you could say. Everything that you mention in here becomes inherent with the job, basically. So it's not about a desire to remain relevant, it's how I started. I started with something new and then I continued. Whatever new development is there is just about pushing the envelope on what newly developed technology is there that wasn't there before.”
Technology is key. When Juan Atkins began producing some three decades ago, home computing was in its infancy. With tongue in cheek, Clash points out that thirty years is enough time for radio waves to travel to distant stars, allowing alien civilisations to tune into techno’s first wave.
“I guess a lot would depend on how technologically advanced that distant civilisation would be,” he muses. “It could be primitive, if they're not as advanced as we are, or it could be something from the future. So what they would learn about humanity... well, who's this to say this civilisation would be human as well? So what's kind of a hard question to answer.”
Techno has always been an incredibly visual genre; born from the post-industrial spaces of Detroit and the wider Michigan state, it’s become a global form, one that moves bodies on virtually every continent. So what images come to mind when considering techno in the 21st century?
“Images when considering techno…” he ponders, before adding: “the image of this computer screen at this very moment.”
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Juan Atkins will play Minimalism at London's XOYO venue on November 11th - tickets.