Most people who pass Derrick May on the sidewalk probably exchange a friendly glance, perhaps even a quick hello, never realizing they’ve just rubbed shoulders with electronic dance music royalty.

Back in the 80s, when a trio of kids from Detroit started mixing European synthpop with funk and other electronic music styles, Techno was born. Derrick was one of those kids – later known as pioneers The Belleville Three – and “Strings of Life” is his seminal work, ranked by outlets in the States and across the pond as one of the most influential dance tracks of all time.

Created by sampling and looping a friend’s piano ballad then layering string and percussion samples, it’s an innovative track made even more ambitious when played LIVE, as it is here by the Philharmonic Orchestre Lamoureux with Derrick mixing.

To say it’s a challenging piece to play would be an understatement. Just the physicality and endurance alone, particularly from the strings section, seems absolutely exhausting. Add in the speed and precision required to recreate electronically-engineered music, and I’m awestruck by these players. While it’s seemingly just another day at the office for Derrick (he did release this track 29 years before this performance, after all), watch the faces of the conductor and orchestra, especially toward the end. If the song and the crowd energy don’t make your day, they will.

Despite being born & raised in Motown, home of “the sound of young America,” Derrick May moves to a different beat, and his groundbreaking music like “Strings of Life” made Detroit home to a brand new sound for the whole wide world.

𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗥 𝗦𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗 𝗜𝗡 𝗖𝗢𝗟𝗢𝗥 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟬 | 𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛 𝗦𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗 𝗜𝗡 𝗖𝗢𝗟𝗢𝗥 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟬