Model 500's 'No UFOs' (1985) is widely regarded as the first techno production

Juan Atkins launched the Metroplex label in early 1985 and released ‘No UFOs’, initially expecting only to recoup costs. It sold 10,000–15,000 copies; Derrick May took copies to Chicago DJs. The track is now ‘widely regarded as Year Zero of the techno movement.’ Atkins had previously recorded with Richard Davis as Cybotron, coining ‘techno’ (inspired by Alvin Toffler’s futurist vocabulary) to describe their electro/rock-influenced output — though many considered Cybotron’s work closer to electro. ‘No UFOs’ was described as ‘a dark challenge to the dancefloor… the electro breakbeat replaced by an industrial four-to-the-floor rhythm.’ This shift from electro breakbeat to 4/4 is the defining production move.

Examples

The shift from Cybotron’s electro-style syncopated breakbeat to the four-on-the-floor kick in ‘No UFOs’ is the audible line between electro and techno as production genres.

Assessment

Why is ‘No UFOs’ considered the first techno production rather than earlier Cybotron releases? What did the move from electro breakbeat to four-on-the-floor rhythm signify stylistically?