Kevin Saunderson moved to Belleville, Michigan as a teenager and met Juan Atkins and Derrick May at Belleville High School. The three would become known as the Belleville Three, a shorthand for the friendship and creative exchange at the heart of Detroit techno’s first generation.

Saunderson joined the Deep Space DJ circle and began producing under names including Kreem and Reese. His first releases developed through the same network of small labels, clubs and home studios that was creating a new electronic identity for Detroit. In 1985 he founded KMS Records, giving his productions and later generations of Detroit artists an independent outlet.

His most dramatic crossover came through Inner City, formed with vocalist Paris Grey. Big Fun and Good Life combined Detroit’s propulsive electronics with bright chords, songwriting and vocals. In 1988 those records arrived in Britain at exactly the moment acid house, warehouse parties and the new rave audience were exploding.

Inner City’s success proved that the Detroit sound could move between underground clubs and mass culture. Their debut album Paradise went platinum in the UK, while Saunderson continued producing harder and more stripped-down material under other aliases.

That range explains the nickname often attached to him: “The Elevator” — the member of the Belleville Three who carried techno upward into wider public consciousness. Decades later he remains an active DJ, producer, label figure and ambassador for Detroit electronic music.