Rhythim Is Rhythim
| Derrick May | |
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Derrick May (2015)
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Rhythim Is Rhythim, Mayday |
| Born | April 6, 1963 |
| Origin | Detroit, Michigan, United States |
| Genres | Detroit techno, house, techno, electronic dance music |
| Occupation(s) | Producer, DJ |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Labels | Transmat |
Derrick May (born April 6, 1963), also known as Mayday and Rhythm Is Rhythm, is an electronic musician from Belleville, Michigan, United States. May is credited with pioneering techno music in the 1980s along with collaborators Juan Atkins and Kevin Saunderson, commonly known as the Belleville Three.
May is an only child 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. After an altercation, May became friends with Saunderson. 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. In an interview with a French magazine, May explained that people use 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. 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.
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." "See that is the problem, when people start doing what other people what them to do, they become completely programmed. We refused to be a part of that game."
When Derrick May was a teenager, he worked part-time in a video arcade.
May's career started his production career in 1987 with the release of a record called "Nude Photo" (co-written by Thomas Barnett), which helped kickstart the Detroit techno music scene. A year later he was following it with what was to become one of techno's classic anthems, the seminal track "Strings of Life," which was named by Frankie Knuckles. It "hit Britain in an especially big way during the country's 1987-1988 house explosion." May's best known track, which, 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." The song was featured in video game Midnight Club: Street Racing
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