Derrick May (musician)

May is an only child[2] born to a single mother in Detroit. May began to explore electronic music early in his life. At age 13, Derrick May began attending Belleville High School, and became friends with Juan Atkins in 1981.[3] After an altercation, May became friends with Saunderson.[4][5] Atkins taught May and Kevin Saunderson the essence of DJing as well, formed a trio, Deep Space Soundworks, collectively existing to present their favorite music at parties and clubs.[6] In an interview with a French magazine, May explained that people used to laugh at the ideas that they were entertained by Kraftwerk and disco sounds, we did our thing and continued to believe in ourselves, regardless.[7] During high school, Saunderson and Belleville High School classmate Juan Atkins were fans of DJ Charles "The Electrifying Mojo" Johnson.

When their careers took off, the three young men opened their three individual record labels, Metroplex belonging to Juan Atkins, KMS and Inner City for Kevin Saunderson and Transmat/Fragil all on Gratiot Ave, in Detroit's Eastern Market, this was known as Techno Alley.[8]

May is very much a Detroit Techno Rebel who does not accept oppression as Alvin Toffler noted, "providing the soundtrack to an alternative future—where the people reclaimed technology for the benefit of the community."[9] "See that is the problem, when people start doing what other people want them to do, they become completely programmed. We refused to be a part of that game."[7]

When Derrick May was a teenager, he worked part-time in a video arcade.[10]

May's production career started in 1987 with the release of a record called "Nude Photo" (written by Thomas Barnett), which helped kickstart the Detroit techno music scene. A year later he followed this release with what was to become one of techno's classic anthems, the seminal track "Strings of Life", which was named by Frankie Knuckles.[11] It "hit Britain in an especially big way during the country's 1987–1988 house explosion."[12] May's best known track, according to Frankie Knuckles, "just exploded. It was like something you can't imagine, the kind of power and energy people got off that record when it was first heard. Mike Dunn says he has no idea how people can accept a record that doesn't have a bassline."[11] The song was featured in video game Midnight Club: Street Racing.[13][14]

Opened in 1988, The Music Institute in Detroit was where they held their residency.[15] May describes the place as a spiritual place for music. "We had a young beautiful black crowd and I mean beautiful in the sense of spirit mind and soul. We had white kids coming, Spanish kids coming, gay kids coming, straight kids coming."[3]

Derrick was a mentor to many great artists. Among them, Carl Craig and Stacey Pullen have cited the difference between May's two labels as Transmat being fully devoted to original creation, whereas Fragile is where an artist can utilize more sampling, for a little creative push. May also ran a side-gig collective known as KAOS, a separate and lesser-known endeavor from Deep Space. May's Transmat Records label was the home of his best material, cuts like "Nude Photo," "Strings of Life," "Kaos" and "It Is What It Is," most produced from 1987 to 1989 as Rhythim Is Rhythim.[16] And though his release schedule all but halted during the 1990s, he continued DJing around the world and helping other artist to release their music honed Transmat into one of the most respected techno labels in the world.[10]

In Surreal Underground Entertainment 1993 America, Carl Craig said he "doesn't want Americans to look back at the music and think of it as a down point in history. The majority of American artists sent their musical efforts to Europe because it is more accepted by a wider audience."[17]

In the documentary about the Detroit techno scene, High Tech Soul, May notes that he saw people in Italy wearing Underground Resistance shirts and was surprised at the group's success outside of Detroit. He says, "People were going crazy over Underground Resistance, and it was like they weren't even there."[18]

Recently, May produced the music for the film of the popular fighting video game Tekken.[19]

For two years, in 2003 and 2004, he was given control of Detroit's popular annual electronic music festival.[20] Originally conceived by Carl Craig, Derrick May, produced for 2 years. He named his event Movement, replacing the Detroit Electronic Music Festival along the Detroit city riverfront. Derrick May claims Carole Marvin stole the idea of festival from himself and Carl Craig. Her actions created a rift in the electronic music community in the talking a self-righteous stance, by firing Carl Craig.[21][22] In 2004, Kevin Saunderson and Ade' Mainor produced the Festival of Sound Electronically and International Nurtured, in short: Fuse-In for 1 year in 2005. As of 2019, the Detroit Electronic Festival is operated by Paxahau.[23]

Derrick May also still maintains a steady performance schedule, playing internationally many weekends. A pioneer of techno, he produces what he calls Hi-Tek Soul or "George Clinton meeting Kraftwerk in an elevator."[11] He has also cited Yellow Magic Orchestra, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Ultravox as influences.[24]

In September 2020, May was accused of sexual assault by several woman dating back to the early 2000s. May has denied all allegations and issued a statement:[25][26][27][28][29]

“As a black man working in a white-dominated and openly biased industry, am I expected to have learned the painful lesson that there is no such thing as truth, fairness, or due process?

“When will the long, storied history of weaponizing the sexuality of African American men end?

“Must I collaborate under duress with my own victimization at the hands of an openly hostile press that amplifies the so-called fears of privileged, anonymous women in an internet-mediated lynching?

“I have no interest in legitimizing these distortions.

“Women are the conduit of life, and as such, are to be protected, and not exploited. I live by those words.”

• Innovator (1996)
• Mysterious Traveller (2002) (with System 7)

• The Mayday Mix (1997)
• Derrick May x Air (2010)
• Derrick May x Air Vol. 2 (2011)
• Fact Mix 339 (2012)

• Innovator: Soundtrack for the Tenth Planet (1991)

• "Let's Go" (1986) (with X-Ray)
• "Nude Photo" (1987) (as Rhythim Is Rhythim)
• "Strings of Life" (1987) (as Rhythim Is Rhythim)
• "It Is What It Is" (1988) (as Rhythim Is Rhythim)
• "Sinister" / "Wiggin" (1988) (as Mayday)
• "Beyond the Dance" (1989) (as Rhythim Is Rhythim)
• "The Beginning" (1990) (as Rhythim Is Rhythim)
• "Icon" / "Kao-tic Harmony" (1993) (as Rhythim Is Rhythim)