CELEBRATING THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF CYBOTRON’S FOUNDATIONAL TECHNO CLASSIC ENTER WITH A DELUXE DIGITAL REISSUE

Craft Recordings announces the release of a 40^th anniversary expanded reissue of Cybotron’s groundbreaking 1983 techno classic, Enter. Available today across digital platforms, Enter (Deluxe Edition) features the newly remastered original album paired with a treasure trove of bonus material, including 12 previously unreleased digital tracks. Among them are alternate mixes of foundational tracks like “Techno City” and “Cosmic Cars” that were previously only available as 12” exclusives, plus a never-before-released remix of “Industrial Lies” by Jose “Animal” Diaz, whose iconic remix of “Clear” has become so synonymous with Enter that Cybotron co-creator and “Godfather of Techno” Juan Atkins has described Diaz as “a co-producer on the track rather than a remixer.” The original 1983 mix of “Clear” also makes its digital debut as part of this collection.

One of the most important names in techno music, Detroit’s Cybotron was founded in 1980 by Juan Atkins and Richard “3070” Davis. Atkins, who MixMag proclaimed as “The original pioneer of Detroit Techno,” first came to prominence as a member of The Belleville Three (alongside Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson). The trio, who bonded in high school over a shared love of Kraftwerk, Yellow Magic Orchestra, and Parliament, created their own unique style of electronic music—inspired equally by the emerging sounds of house music as well as by the post-industrialist feel of late-’70s/early-’80s Detroit. Blending turntablism with drum machines, synths, and multi-track mixers, The Belleville Three were instrumental in creating the sound of Detroit Techno—a genre that emphasized the transformative power of technology and music, while serving as an empowering force for independent Black artists and entrepreneurs. Before long, Detroit Techno would inspire a global culture of dance music.

By 1981, The Belleville Three were beginning to pursue side projects, including Atkins, who met composer and producer Richard Davis in college. Together, they formed Cybotron—a futuristic mashup of “cyborg” and “cyclotron.” Their debut album, Enter, was released in 1983 on Fantasy Records and would soon become highly influential in the evolution of electronic dance music, with The Guardian recently noting that “Cybotron are as fundamental and foundational as any act in music.”

A cornerstone title in Detroit Techno, Enter found Atkins and Davis using subliminal funk pulsing amidst their crisp-and-dry programmed beats, creating a combination of industrial dance and futuristic grooves that reflected the stark industrial decline in Detroit. The groundbreaking album spawned such classic electronic cuts as “Alleys of Your Mind,” “Cosmic Cars,” “R-9,” and, most notably, “Clear,” which hip-hop fans may recognize from Missy Elliott’s 2005 hit, “Lose Control,” among others. The Wire cited “Clear” as a “groundbreaking…first-generation piece of pure machine music,” while Pitchfork notes “Enter isn’t just a record that should be listened to because it’s important—history aside it’s an intensely pleasurable experience.” Four decades later, Enter’s staying power is largely attributed to the strength of the writing and the harmonious collision the Atkins’ penchant for cosmic funk production techniques and Davis’ arena-rock sensibilities.

In recent years, Cybotron was revived by Atkins and his new collaborator, Laurens von Oswald, who partnered on “The Golden Ratio (Version),”  a luminous and synth-ridden track that echoes Cybotron’s timeless embodiment of the past, present, and future of techno.

Track listing for Enter (Deluxe Edition):

1. Enter
2. Alleys of Your Mind
3. Industrial Lies
4. The Line
5. Cosmic Cars (Original Mix)
6. Cosmic Raindance
7. El Salvidor
8. Clear (Original Mix)*
9. R-9 (Vocal)*
10. R-9 (Instrumental)*
11. Techno City (Vocal)*
12. Techno City (Instrumental)*
13. Techno City (7" Promo)**
14. Cosmic Cars (12" Mix)*
15. Cosmic Cars (House Mix)
16. Cosmic Cars (Detroit Style Mix)*
17. Cosmic Cars (12" Instrumental Mix)*
18. Cosmic Cars (Instrumental House Mix)*
19. Cosmic Cars (House Drum Mix)*
20. Industrial Lies (Jose "Animal" Diaz Remix)**
21. Clear (Jose "Animal" Diaz Remix)

*Previously digitally unavailable

**Previously unreleased