Derrick May is an American electronic musician and DJ born in Detroit, Michigan, on April 6, 1963. A key figure in both the Detroit techno and techno genres, May never released a proper studio album. His standing as a producer was established by his Transmat label's early yield of classic cuts -- "Strings of Life," "Kaos" and "Nude Photo," among others, all released under the name Rhythim is Rhythim in the late '80s, would influence techno and electronica artists for decades. May's releases practically halted during the '90s; however, Sony Japan put out a compilation of his tracks in 1995 titled Innovator.