Derrick May

Sometime in the past, the future began. In 1987, a shrink-wrapped record titled “Nude Photo” started appearing on the shelves of a few idiosyncratic dance shops throughout Europe. The techno uprising was underway. The music sounded other-worldly: sub-aquatic basslines raced with hi-hats constructed from welding sparks. It was like listening to the liquid electricity of one man’s soul. A part of the original Detroit “Holy Trinity” with Juan Atkins and Kevin Saunderson, Derrick took the Euro-electropop crystals of Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode and New Order beyond its own horizon, infusing it with house, experimental synthesizer work and just plain soul. Songs and albums like “Nude Photo“, “Strings Of Life”, “It Is What It Is”, “Beginning”, “Relics” and “Icon” run deeper than genre molds can grasp. Referred to as the “Miles Davis of Techno”, Derrick May has worked with some of the most experimental and creative musical artists in the world, such as ABC, Depeche Mode and Fine Young Cannibals.