The Belleville Three facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Belleville Three
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The Belleville Three performing at the Detroit Masonic Temple in 2017. From left to right: Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson, and Derrick May
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Belleville, Michigan |
| Genres | Detroit techno |
| Labels | Blue Raincoat Music |
| Members |
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The Belleville Three are a famous group of three American musicians: Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson. They are known for creating a type of music called Detroit techno in Belleville, Michigan. Their unique sound helped shape electronic music around the world.
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How the Belleville Three Met
Kevin Saunderson was born in Brooklyn, New York. When he was nine, he moved to Michigan. He went to Belleville High School in Belleville. This town was about 30 miles from Detroit, in a more rural area.
At school, Kevin became friends with Derrick May and Juan Atkins. Both Derrick and Juan were born in Detroit but later moved to Belleville. The three were among the few black students at their high school. Kevin later said, "we three kind of gelled right away."
Music and Their Hometown
Their hometown affected how they experienced music. Derrick May remembered, "We'd sit back with the lights off and listen to records by Bootsy and Yellow Magic Orchestra. We never took it as just entertainment, we took it as a serious philosophy."
Belleville was close to many car factories like Ford and GM. These factories offered good jobs to people of all races. Juan Atkins explained that "Everybody was equal." This meant kids grew up with parents earning good money. European bands like Kraftwerk were popular among young black people in the middle class.
Early Musical Influences
The three friends loved listening to many different kinds of music. They enjoyed Kraftwerk, Parliament, Prince, and the B-52s. The electronic and funk sounds that inspired them came mostly from a late-night radio show. It was called The Midnight Funk Association. DJ Charles "The Electrifying Mojo" Johnson played it on WGPR in Detroit.
Juan Atkins was so inspired by Parliament that he bought a synthesizer. Juan was also the first of the group to learn how to DJ. He then taught Derrick and Kevin how to do it.
Becoming DJs
Juan Atkins and Derrick May started DJing at parties in Detroit. They called themselves Deep Space Soundworks. By 1981, DJ Johnson was playing their mixes on his radio show. The trio also started working with other musicians.
They traveled to Chicago to see the house music scene there. They were especially interested in Chicago DJs Ron Hardy and Frankie Knuckles. The Belleville Three began to mix this dance music with the mechanical sounds of groups like Kraftwerk. This style reflected Detroit's industrial background. Their music often showed an interest in the future and machines. Juan Atkins said this was because Detroit was ahead in moving away from old industries.
The First Wave of Detroit Techno
While attending Washtenaw Community College, Juan Atkins met Rick Davis. They formed a group called Cybotron. Their first song, "Alleys of Your Mind," came out in 1981. It sold 15,000 copies! Two more successful songs, "Cosmic Cars" and "Clear," followed. This led to a record deal with Fantasy label, which released their album, Enter.
After Cybotron broke up, Juan Atkins started making music as Model 500. He created his own record label, Metroplex, in 1985. His important song, "No UFOs," came out soon after. Eddie "Flashin" Fowlkes, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson also released music on Metroplex.
Starting Their Own Labels
The Detroit musicians, including the Belleville Three and other early artists, were a close group. They shared equipment and helped each other. But soon, each member of the Belleville Three started their own record label. Derrick May's label, Transmat, began as part of Metroplex. Kevin Saunderson started KMS, named after his initials. They set up their businesses close to each other in Detroit's Eastern Market area.
The Belleville Three have used many different names for their music. Derrick May had great success as Rhythim is Rhythim. Under this name, he released his famous song "Strings of Life." Kevin Saunderson's most well-known project was Inner City with singer Paris Grey. Juan Atkins is often called the "Godfather of Techno." Derrick May is known as the "Innovator," and Kevin Saunderson is called the "Elevator."
The Music Institute Club
Inspired by the house music clubs in Chicago, May, Atkins, and Saunderson opened their own club. It was in downtown Detroit and called the Music Institute. The club brought together the music scene, creating an underground "family." Saunderson, Atkins, and May DJed there with other pioneers. This club helped inspire the next wave of Detroit techno artists.
Success Around the World
In 1988, a music business person named Neil Rushton wanted to release their music in the UK. To make the Detroit sound different from Chicago house music, Rushton and the Belleville Three chose the word "techno." Juan Atkins had been using this term since his Cybotron days. "Techno City" was one of his early songs.
The Movement Festival
In 2000, the first Detroit Electronic Music Festival was held. In 2004, Derrick May took charge of the festival, renaming it Movement. He put his own money into it. The next year, Kevin Saunderson led the festival, which was renamed FUSE IN. Saunderson, May, and Carl Craig all performed at the festival in 2006, when it was again called Movement. Saunderson also performed at the 2007 Movement festival.
Working Together as The Belleville Three
Even though they were called The Belleville Three since the late 1980s, they didn't officially work together as a group for a long time. This was partly because the British press gave them that name, and they wanted to create their own paths.
However, three decades later, people still knew them as The Belleville Three. There was a clear demand to see them perform as a group. So, in 2017, Atkins, Saunderson, and May officially started working together as The Belleville Three. They launched this project at the Coachella festival in 2017.
The Belleville Three continue to tour internationally. Derrick May says his goal is still "to save the world from bad music."
See also
- Detroit techno
- Techno
