Commonly credited as the originator of techno, Juan Atkins started recording in the 1980s what is now widely regarded as one of the most influential bodies of work in the history of electronic music. Influenced by funk groups pioneering the use of synthesizers, such as George Clinton's Funkadelic, and European groups like Kraftwerk, Atkins founded Cybotron in 1980 together with college friend Richard Davis. Cybotron recorded one album, 'Enter, and a string of classic singles: 'Alleys Of Your Mind', 'Cosmic Cars' and the timeless 'Clear'. In 1995 Atkins left the group and started releasing as Model 500 on his newly founded Metroplex label, the first release of which was to be 'No UFO's', which combined Cybotron's cold electro funk with straight 909 beats for a blueprint of modern techno. More classic singles such as 'Night Drive', 'Off To Battle' and 'Sound Of Stereo followed in short succession. Atkins became a leading figure in Detroit's electronic music scene, befriending and supporting two promising young artist, Kevin Saunderson and Derrick May. Saunderson and May each founded their own labels, KMS and Transmat, and together the three rose to worldwide fame as the first generation of Detroit techno artists.