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Derrick May
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
Derrick May is an American electronic musician, born in 1963 in Detroit. He grew up as an only child with his mother. At high school in Belleville, a suburb of Detroit, he became friends with Juan Atkins and Kevin Saunderson. Atkins taught the other two to DJ, and together they formed Deep Space Soundworks, to play their favourite music at parties. They loved Kraftwerk and disco, and listened to the Detroit radio DJ The Electrifying Mojo. Later they came to be called the Belleville Three.
Music and breakthrough
In 1986 May founded the label Transmat. Under the name Rhythim Is Rhythim he released Nude Photo in 1987, and a year later Strings of Life. That track, with fast piano chords and string sounds but no bass line, became one of the classics of techno. Frankie Knuckles gave it that name when he played an early version in Chicago. In England it took off during the house boom of 1987 and 1988.
Influence
May calls his music Hi-Tek Soul, and once described it as George Clinton meeting Kraftwerk in an elevator. His music combines tight electronic rhythms with warmth and feeling. After the 1980s he released little new music, but he kept DJing around the world and helped younger artists such as Carl Craig. He has been called the Miles Davis of techno. Since 2020 he has been accused of sexual abuse by several women, which he denies.
Listening
Discography
Studio albums
- 2002Mysterious Traveller
In School of Rock
The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.
- Mixtape 8: Electronic MusicNL Reader
Mentioned in other articles
- Detroit techno Genre
In Belleville near Detroit, Juan Atkins, Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson grew up with the radio show of The Electrifying Mojo, who played Parliament alongside Kraftwerk.