Derrick May could be said to be the Bob Dylan of electronic music. He is an innovator, beloved by many, sometimes temperamental but always interesting. And for the last, god knows how many years, he’s been on a seemingly never-ending tour around the world, showcasing his brand of Hi-Tech Soul to the adoring audiences who can’t pass up the offer if he’s in town. He’s also been busy with other things too.
“I released a Transmat compilation album in Japan,” he explains over the phone from his home in Detroit, approximately 28 hours later than the scheduled time. “It’s really a huge project; we haven’t done much in the last two years. Then there’s the Jimmy Edgar project, of course [the We Love Detroit compilation released earlier this year], and the touring and there’s been a lot of speculation that I’ve been back in the studio recently. This was partially true. I was in the studio but I wasn’t making music I was helping someone else finish their music – Circo Loco. He asked me in, believe it or not, to do some vocals. I really enjoyed it.”
Despite having a back catalogue of classic, game-changing tunes, including the seminal Strings Of Life and Nude Photo, May has been taking an extended sabbatical from production for what seems like an age. When quizzed in the past around this subject, he has been reticent and dismissive, but it seems this recent recording experience has possibly reignited the emotions he expressed so exceptionally in those early tunes.
“I’m going to be doing a show,” he answers, when questioned as to the likelihood of returning to production. “It’s going to be here in Detroit, it’s going to be an exclusive performance by myself and Carl Craig. We’re working on it right now, the idea, and we’re going to be playing keyboards and performing live. This is not a pre-recorded computer set, so I have to go back in the studio to do that – there is no way around it. So yes I guess you can say I’m going back in the studio.”
With any luck, this will lead onto more things and perhaps some new material. He has no shortage of unreleased snippets to source from. May and friend Kevin Saunderson learnt their musical trade from the slightly older Juan Atkins, back in their hometown of Detroit. The story of the birth of techno has been well documented, but May said that at the time the bug hit him he was pretty prolific and had around 300 pieces of music on cassette all stored in a washing basket. It now seems there is, excitingly enough, potential that some of these could be dusted down and used as the basis for a fresh release.
“I put an unreleased song on the Japanese compilation called Hand Over Hand. The reason I did it is because it’s one the dearest songs to me. It may not be the greatest song but it’s a piece of music I did many years ago that means a lot to me and I plan to do a few more of those as well at some point. I’ve got hundreds of songs and I guess I’ll just give them up here and there.”
But there is a downside to these rumblings of action, as May explains. “If I was going to do it – go back in the studio full time and really devote myself to it – then I actually would stop playing records, completely. Because in my mind, you can’t play records and then go and make them. It fucks with the creative process. You end up being subconsciously influenced by what you just heard. I never understand these guys who go into the studio and then the next day they’re playing a party. I don’t get it. I don’t like to believe I make music just for the dance floor. If I did I’d be disappointed with myself, I like to believe I make romantic stories, or dark stories. But making something just for the dance floor seems quite contrary.”
Let’s just hope that he completes his tour down under before making that commitment we’ve all been waiting for.
BY ANDREW NELSON
