# Rhythim Is Rhythim — Every Record We Rank

Rhythim Is Rhythim appears 5 times in our Detroit Techno, The Eighties, The Waxonia Desk — A Way In, The Waxonia Desk — Detroit, Heard in Europe, and The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred lists, placing as high as No. 1. Hand-curated, with a reason for every pick.

- **Ranked entries:** 5
- **Appears on:** Detroit Techno, The Eighties, The Waxonia Desk — A Way In, The Waxonia Desk — Detroit, Heard in Europe, and The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred
- **Year:** 1987
- **Highest placing:** No. 1 in Detroit Techno
- **Updated:** 2026-08-29
- **Canonical page:** https://waxonia.com/artist/rhythim-is-rhythim/

## Appears on

### [Strings of Life](https://waxonia.com/track/rhythim-is-rhythim--strings-of-life/)

*1987 · Transmat · No. 1 in [Detroit Techno](https://waxonia.com/genre/detroit-techno/)*

Derrick May's piano stabs have no bassline and barely a kick for half their length, and the record still functions as the most reliable emotional detonator in dance music.

Also on: [The Eighties](https://waxonia.com/theme/the-eighties/), [The Waxonia Desk — A Way In](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-a-way-in/), [The Waxonia Desk — Detroit, Heard in Europe](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-detroit-in-europe/), [The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-the-hundred/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Rhythim%20Is%20Rhythim%20Strings%20of%20Life) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=vGFw2qeUp0s)

### [Strings of Life](https://waxonia.com/track/rhythim-is-rhythim--strings-of-life/)

*1987 · Transmat · Picked by [The Eighties](https://waxonia.com/theme/the-eighties/)*

Derrick May's own label again, and the record the rest of the decade gets measured against. No chorus, no bassline for most of it, and no committee anywhere that would have let it out at that length.

Also on: [Detroit Techno](https://waxonia.com/genre/detroit-techno/), [The Waxonia Desk — A Way In](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-a-way-in/), [The Waxonia Desk — Detroit, Heard in Europe](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-detroit-in-europe/), [The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-the-hundred/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Rhythim%20Is%20Rhythim%20Strings%20of%20Life) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=vGFw2qeUp0s)

### [Strings of Life](https://waxonia.com/track/rhythim-is-rhythim--strings-of-life/)

*1987 · Transmat · Picked by [The Waxonia Desk — A Way In](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-a-way-in/)*

Start here if you think electronic music is cold. There is no bassline and barely a kick for half its length, and it still empties a room into a dancefloor faster than anything made since.

Also on: [Detroit Techno](https://waxonia.com/genre/detroit-techno/), [The Eighties](https://waxonia.com/theme/the-eighties/), [The Waxonia Desk — Detroit, Heard in Europe](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-detroit-in-europe/), [The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-the-hundred/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Rhythim%20Is%20Rhythim%20Strings%20of%20Life) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=vGFw2qeUp0s)

### [Strings of Life](https://waxonia.com/track/rhythim-is-rhythim--strings-of-life/)

*1987 · Transmat · Picked by [The Waxonia Desk — Detroit, Heard in Europe](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-detroit-in-europe/)*

Obvious, and obvious for a reason. It was a Belgian and British floor record before Detroit had a market of its own, which is why a city's most famous export sounds nothing like the city that made it.

Also on: [Detroit Techno](https://waxonia.com/genre/detroit-techno/), [The Eighties](https://waxonia.com/theme/the-eighties/), [The Waxonia Desk — A Way In](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-a-way-in/), [The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-the-hundred/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Rhythim%20Is%20Rhythim%20Strings%20of%20Life) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=vGFw2qeUp0s)

### [Strings of Life](https://waxonia.com/track/rhythim-is-rhythim--strings-of-life/)

*1987 · Transmat · Picked by [The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-the-hundred/)*

No bassline, barely a kick, and it still empties a bar into a dancefloor faster than anything made since. The one record on this site nobody in thirty-eight years has argued with.

Also on: [Detroit Techno](https://waxonia.com/genre/detroit-techno/), [The Eighties](https://waxonia.com/theme/the-eighties/), [The Waxonia Desk — A Way In](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-a-way-in/), [The Waxonia Desk — Detroit, Heard in Europe](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-detroit-in-europe/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Rhythim%20Is%20Rhythim%20Strings%20of%20Life) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=vGFw2qeUp0s)

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Hand-curated by Waxonia. We host no audio; all links point to streaming platforms.