I know there's a house/techno thread for current stuff but I'm really keen to explore where it all started.I recently downloaded the Juan Atkins Fact mix as a kind of first step. Despite being fairly up to date with all the current developments in electronic dance music I've never really ventured back to its roots. Also, the sheer amount of records/labels etc is a bit daunting having no prior knowledge.

Who are the key players?
What are the key singles?
Key albums?
Key labels?
How it developed generally?

Many thanks in advance.