Strings of Life

Recorded in Detroit in 1987 for Transmat, it was built from a piano sequence by Michael James and reshaped by Derrick May into the final club version. The original release credits Mayday as producer and mixer, with edits by Stoney and executive production by Mike Slade. Released in 1987, it became one of Derrick May’s defining records and a landmark in the Detroit techno and house crossover. Contemporary and later critical lists consistently treated it as a canonical dance track. It remains one of the most cited and covered tracks in electronic music, with later artists and DJs repeatedly naming it a benchmark record. Its influence is reflected in major retrospective rankings and in the 2005 Soul Central cover, which brought the song back into the UK charts.