Famed electronic music producer Derrick May has been accused of sexual assault by Michael James, a former Detroit-based colleague.
On September 8th, 2020, James shared a lengthy statement via Facebook that contains explicit allegations against May, who is prevalently considered to be a pioneering artist in techno music. “Now, you should understand why it’s taking so long for all of you to learn that Derrick May has been raping and sexually assaulting women dating back to the 1980s,” James wrote. “I’ve been telling people about it since November 2019, and at least 10 people have gone on record publicly with stories of him engaging in rape, exposing his penis to women without consent, threatening sexual attacks, groping women, etc.”
Your EDM reported that a lawyer for May denied the allegations and was planning to pursue legal action. “The accusations by Mr. James are patently false,” said the lawyer. “Derrick May is in the process of taking the appropriate legal measures against Mr. James.”
“Here’s what I can tell you guys for sure: every single venue Derrick May has been booked at, someone has a story about his sexual misbehavior,” James continued. “…Derrick May developed a pattern that also involved using date rape drugs on women.”
Following the proliferation of the accusations via social media, James confirmed in a follow-up post that May is moving forward with litigation. In a corresponding development, James announced that May has been dropped as a guest speaker at the 2020 edition of Paris Electronic Week, which is scheduled to begin on September 23rd.
