Event · 1986 · Detroit [42.33, -83.05]
Founding of Transmat Records
Derrick May founded Transmat in 1986 in Detroit, a sister label to Metroplex that became the home of "Strings of Life" and a launchpad for younger producers. Transmat nurtured the next generation, including Carl Craig, and exported the city's sound to European DJs. Together the two labels formed the institutional backbone of early techno.
Evidence1
- MusicBrainz: TransmatMusicBrainz
musicbrainz.org/label/632654bd-b625-43e2-9be2-06996121656f
accessed 2026-06-04
Connections1
collaborates with → Derrick May
Derrick May founded Transmat in 1986 as a sister label to Metroplex, extending the Detroit infrastructure Atkins had begun. Transmat would release "Strings of Life" and mentor the producers who became the genre's second generation.