Derrick May

The Inventor of Techno

Derrick May is one of the three "Belleville Three" who invented techno music in Detroit in the mid-1980s. His 1987 recording "Strings of Life" — released on his Transmat Records label — is one of the most influential electronic music recordings ever made, a track that defined the emotional and sonic vocabulary of an entire global genre. It has been played in clubs and festivals on every continent for nearly four decades. May's contribution to music history is difficult to overstate. At a time when Detroit was economically devastated, he and his collaborators Juan Atkins and Kevin Saunderson created a futuristic sound that gave the city a new cultural identity and launched a movement that would eventually produce EDM, house, and countless subgenres. His Transmat label remains active, and his DJ sets continue to draw audiences worldwide.