OMMA Catalogue Number
OMMA-0034
Artist
Model 500 (Juan Atkins)
Title
No UFO’s / Future
Release Details
Issued in 1985 by Metroplex Records as a 12-inch single (catalogue number M-001). Pressed in the United States and released as a commercial retail issue during the formative period of Metroplex’s operations.
Edition & Variant Identification
First press commercial edition of No UFO’s / Future, corresponding to the initial Metroplex M-001 release. The present copy represents the earliest documented commercial configuration of the title.
Matrix & Pressing Data
Side A bears the inscription: Archer, AR-7034 A, & As.
Side B bears the inscription: Archer, AR-7034 B, As & 98.
Physical Description
12-inch vinyl single on black vinyl with original Metroplex labels. The present copy is housed in a plain generic sleeve, consistent with early Metroplex commercial distribution practices. No inserts are present. Label printing is clean and sharply rendered, with no writing, stickers, or extraneous markings.
Factory-Origin Characteristics
No factory-origin anomalies are observed on the present copy.
Condition Report
The sleeve remains in Near Mint condition, exhibiting only the most minimal signs of handling consistent with careful storage. The vinyl surface is Near Mint, retaining full original gloss and showing no visible playwear, handling marks, or surface disturbances; it is described as appearing unplayed. Labels are in Mint condition, flawless in appearance and entirely free from spindle marks or wear.
Provenance
Stay Pressed Records, Detroit record store; subsequently acquired via Discogs seller “staypressedrecords.”
Photomatching & Verification
Photographic documentation hosted via Google Drive confirms label layout, runout inscriptions, and sleeve configuration consistent with authenticated first-press copies of Metroplex M-001. This material provides visual verification of the present copy’s pressing and condition.
Market Context & Historical Notes
No UFO’s is universally recognized as one of the foundational recordings of Detroit techno and as the inaugural release on Metroplex Records, the label established by Juan Atkins to formalize the sound he had been developing since the early 1980s. Issued under the Model 500 alias, the record articulated a futurist musical and conceptual framework that distinguished techno from earlier electro and funk-derived forms, emphasizing machine rhythms, synthetic timbres, and themes of technology and modernity. Metroplex M-001 occupies a pivotal position not only in Atkins’s own discography but in the broader genealogy of electronic dance music, serving as a template for subsequent Detroit releases and exerting long-term influence on international techno scenes. As an artifact, the first-press commercial issue documents the moment at which Detroit techno transitioned from localized experimentation into a formally issued, self-defined genre.
Canonical Status in OMMA
This release is recognized by the Origins of Modern Music Archive as the canonical debut of the artist.