"Clear" is a 1983 electro song performed by the American group Cybotron, and composed by Cybotron members

Juan Atkins Juan Atkins (born September 12, 1962), also known as Model 500 and Infiniti, is an American record producer and DJ from Detroit, Michigan. ''Mixmag'' has described him as "the original pioneer of Detroit techno." He has been a member of The Bell ...

and Richard Davis.

Commercial performance and reception

Dennis Romero of ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'' in 1993 described the "

Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, "power station") is a German band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk were among the first successful acts to popularize t ...

-sampling song" as " spired by

Afrika Bambaataa Lance Taylor (born on April 17, 1957), also known as Afrika Bambaataa (), is an American DJ, rapper, and producer from the South Bronx, New York. He is notable for releasing a series of genre-defining electro tracks in the 1980s that influence ...

's ..'

Planet Rock Planet Rock may refer to: * "Planet Rock" (song), a 1982 song by Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force ** '' Planet Rock: The Album'', a 1986 album containing the song * Planet Rock (radio station) Planet Rock may refer to: * "Planet Rock" ...

' " and filled "with high-flying synthesizer loops, hard-driving beats and sparse,

Chipmunk Chipmunks are small, striped rodents of the family Sciuridae. Chipmunks are found in North America, with the exception of the Siberian chipmunk which is found primarily in Asia. Taxonomy and systematics Chipmunks may be classified either as ...

-style vocals-all elements", used in later

techno Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...

songs as of September 1993. At least fifty thousand copies of the "Clear" single were sold, according to a 1997 article in ''

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American crime drama television series created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. ''The Wire'' premiered on June 2, ...

'', which describes the song as a "groundbreaking…first-generation piece of pure machine music." Cyclone Wehner of the ''

Gold Coast Bulletin The ''Gold Coast Bulletin'' is a daily newspaper serving Australia's Gold Coast region. It is published as ''The Gold Coast Bulletin'' on weekdays and the ''Weekend Bulletin'' at weekends. It is owned by News Corp Australia. History The ...

'' in 2005 described the song as precedence of

Detroit techno Detroit techno is a type of techno music that generally includes the first techno productions by Detroit-based artists during the 1980s and early 1990s. Prominent Detroit techno artists include Juan Atkins, Eddie Fowlkes, Derrick May, Jeff M ...

and "

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...

's tech-hop".

Later uses

The song's instantly recognizable loop has been sampled by many rap and hip-hop artists such as

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971), better known as Missy Elliott or Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the earl ...

's " Lose Control", and

Poison Clan Poison Clan was a Southern hip-hop group signed to Luke Records from 1990 to 1995, the group had various line-ups and members were JT Money Jeffrey Jermaine Thompkins (born September 14, 1972), known by his stage name JT Money, is an America ...

's "Shake Whatcha Mama Gave Ya". The song appears in the 2002 video game '' Grand Theft Auto: Vice City '' in the radio station Wildstyle Pirate Radio.

References

External links

Jon Savage on song: Cybotron – Techno City
The Guardian Music Blog {{authority control 1983 songs Electronic songs Songs written by Juan Atkins Song recordings produced by Juan Atkins