Rhythim is Rhythim
'Rhythim is Rhythim' is an alias for the legendary Derrick May. 'Nude Photo' was the first track May released under the Rhythim Is Rhythim moniker, a dubby bass track in the mold of Larry Heard. May's songwriting process was conceived in an analytical framework, gaining May the attention of the world. Which is just what he wanted and got!
May and Atkins would sleepover at Atkins' house at night, listen to music, and speculate about what the makers were aiming for. In May's early singles, a kind of young, hungry competitiveness is apparent, and he seems very determined to make a big splash. Many do not realize that celebrities are just people like us, too!
Strings of Life captures not just the burgeoning energy of Detroit lightning but also its singer's own frenetic nature. May comes across as unpredictable, melodramatic, passionate, crude, stubborn, wise, wise-cracking, techno's weird uncle, and all of the above. Strings could be categorized in much the same way as May. And when someone can be described as a song, it says a lot about their personality.
In fact, Martin Luther King was the inspiration for Strings of Life. "When they killed him, they destroyed the hopes and dreams of a generation. His message was about hope." Using a political figure was also a brave move to make within this generation, so bravo!
In September 2020 several women accused May of sexual assault from the early 2000s. May denies every allegation. As part of the accusations, he also filed a defamation lawsuit against Michael James, a collaborator on the track Strings of Life, whom he believes is pursuing a vendetta over unpaid royalties. In February 2021, the case was finally dismissed.
Derrick May signed 'The Beginning' across the label in a gold marker pen for a free copy of Transmat's magazine merger. If you subscribed to the magazine, you received a 12" Transmat. This was one of the first chances for fans to feel close to their idols and definitely significantly impacted how people in this industry communicated with their fans.
Random fact: The track Emanon is no name spelled backward. This was done on purpose!
Initially released in 1987, Strings Of Life is May's best-known album and a defining moment for techno. Frankie Knuckles, who played the demo in his Warehouse club, gave the track its name. What an iconic moment!
After hooking up with Ken Collier, May made it clear that it was a career move that allowed them to make it big! Ken gave them access to the record pool back then. There was much media press on this matter, but a lot of it was batted off.
When British journalists and the press began to take an interest in May, one question persistently asked was whether he had a photo of himself. May actually did not have any photographs of himself; therefore had to begin taking some and sending them off to newspapers!