In this [Flashback] column, Anne Jackson explores the origins of Detroit Techno, a genre born in the early 1980s from the city’s underground dance scene. Pioneered by African-American artists Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson—collectively known as the Belleville Three—techno fused elements of funk, electro, and early electronic music. Shaped by Detroit’s industrial backdrop and the socio-economic challenges facing its residents, the genre became both a form of artistic innovation and a powerful outlet for expression within the African-American community.