Derrick May is commonly credited for establishing Detroit techno music together with Juan Atkins and Kevin Saunderson. While Atkins became known as 'the creator', and Saunderson as 'the elevator', May was dubbed 'the innovator' for defining a style beyond Atkins' kraftwerkian techno funk and Saundersons' eventually chart-topping techno house: fragile and experimental underground techno that inspired the work of artists like Carl Craig, Anthony Shakir, and Keith Tucker, all of which worked closely with Derrick May at the beginning of their careers. His tracks such as 'Nude Photo' or 'Strings Of Life' are regarded as genre-defining techno classics, but during the early 1990s May cut back on production, focusing on his DJing career instead, as well as curating his legendary label, Transmat.