Innovation and creativity combined together to provide a magnificent audio visual experience is what Pretty Lights is. Derek Vincent Smith aka Pretty Lights is an American electronic music artist known for doing immaculate visual production coupled with the brilliant music in his live shows, and we’ve to say this is one unique characteristic that has made Pretty Lights stand apart in the industry.
Currently, also the proprietor of an associated music label, Pretty Lights Music, Smith’s career began with writing and producing hip-hop music while attending high school in Fort Collins, Colorado. He attended University of Colorado at Boulder, but like many highly successful people who dropped out of college, Smith as well soon dropped out during his freshman year to focus on his music instead.
Having already played, under the moniker Pretty Lights, in the summer of 2009, at several major American music festivals, such as Bonnaroo, Wakarusa, Rothbury, the Electric Daisy Carnival, Camp Bisco, and the 10KLF, it was in 2010, when Smith’s popularity took a leap as he got the opportunity to play at biggest world music festivals like Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the Ultra Music Festival in Miami. Pretty Lights Music label distributes music for free and Smith as well as other signed label artists have not left any stone unturned to provide their fans top-notch productions.
Pretty Lights’ first studio album ‘Taking Up Your Precious Time’ was released in 2006 and is known for including the song ‘Finally Moving’ (which samples the song “Something’s Got a Hold on Me“, a 1962 single from “Etta James Top Ten“). The album acted as a decent kick-start for Smith which was then followed by ‘Filling Up the City Skies’ featuring Pretty Lights’s hit single ‘Hot Like Sauce’. There was no looking back for Smith after this and subsequent to the release of his third studio album ‘Passing by Behind Your Eyes’, Pretty Lights had made his impact worldwide by playing at some of the prestigious shows around the globe.
In the month of July in 2013, not one but two new Pretty Lights albums were released: ‘A Color Map of the Sun’ and its essential companion, ‘Live Studio Sessions From A Color Map of the Sun’. The first PL efforts to be sold commercially after a series of acclaimed free-download albums and EPs, the Color Map project represents a turning point in Pretty Lights mastermind Derek Vincent Smith’s artistic growth. ‘A Color Map of the Sun’ gained popularity from a collection of exceedingly ingenious tracks by Smith such as ‘Color of My Soul’, ‘Press Pause’, ‘Yellow Bird’, ‘So Bright’ featuring Eligh, ‘Done Wrong’ and ‘One Day They’ll know’ to name a few and has received a nomination for Best Dance/Electronica Album in the 2014 Grammys.
Some of the other groundbreaking singles from his EPs include the ODESZA remix of Pretty Lights’ ‘Lost and Found’, ‘Shining Bright Despite The Plight’, Still Night’ and ‘Still Rockin’. Known for his live performances with complex laser and lighting displays, Pretty Lights’ music relies heavily on digital sampling and crosses many genres, forming a combination of glitch hip-hop beats, buzzing synth lines, and vintage funk and soul samples. All this amalgamated together brings out an exquisite experience of his fans around the globe.
Catch Pretty Lights live at the 4th edition of Vh1 Supersonic Arcade in Delhi and Pune. Check out the event details below and buy the tickets here!
Event Details:
- Date: 3rd April
Venue: I-Kandy, M.G. Road, Delhi NCR
- Date: 5th April
Venue: Blue Frog, Ishanya Mall, Pune
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