Detroit techno pioneer Juan Atkins is set to release new material under his Model 500 moniker.
Techno was born in Detroit. Part of the Belleville Three, Juan Atkins always wanted to push music forwards. Using his Model 500 moniker the producer released a string of recordings which broke new ground.
Collected by Belgian imprint R&S, the relationship became one of the most important in techno. The last time Model 500 released new music was in 1999, with R&S taking care of the 'Mind And Body' album.
Now Model 500 are set to come out of hiatus. The project began as a solo piece, with other Detroit producers coming on board over the years. Live shows have seen the likes of Underground Resistance icon ‘Mad’ Mike Banks, DJ Skurge and Mark Taylor join the iconic techno project.
However live shows have been thin on the ground, with Juan Atkins concentrating on other styles of material. Equally, the ever secretive Under Resistance collective aren't ones for communicating their release schedule.
Now Model 500 are set to return with a new EP. Released through R&S, the three track EP is led by 'OFI'. A typically funky slice of techno, is seems to take inspiration from Juan Atkins' early material.
A typically fried slice of funk, the lyrics intone “the mothership is in the air / the mothership is everywhere”. Meanwhile the B-side is set to be 'Huesca' while 'Mad' Mike Banks has contributed a remix of 'OFI'.
Listen to clips of both 'OFI' and 'Huesca' on the Model 500 MySpace page - HERE.
Model 500 are expected to release 'OFI' / 'Huesca' in September, which coincides with the project's 25th anniversary.