Early life 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 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. 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.
Career When Derrick May was a teenager, he worked part-time in a video arcade. 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. It "hit Britain in an especially big way during the country's 1987–1988 house explosion." 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." Opened in 1988, The Music Institute in Detroit was where they held their residency. 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." 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. 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." Recently, May produced the music for the film of the popular fighting video game
Tekken. For two years, in 2003 and 2004, he was given control of Detroit's popular
annual electronic music festival. 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. 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. 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."
Sexual assault allegations In November 2020, May was accused of sexual assault by several women dating back to the early 2000s. May denies all allegations. In connection with the accusations, he also filed a lawsuit for defamation against Michael James, a collaborator on the track "Strings of Life", who May believed to be pursuing a personal vendetta over unpaid royalties. The suit was later cancelled in February 2021. == Artistry ==