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12 years ago
United States Derek Vincent Smith, known as Pretty Lights, is an American electronic music producer whose work has significantly influenced the electronic music scene.
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Request A ShowUnique partnership coordinated by Fame House, allowing indie artist Pretty Lights to distribute music. (UPDATED) Guest post by Michael Fiebach (@mfiebach), founder of Fame House, who coordinated a unique partnership between indie artist Pretty ...
Collaboration on the two-day "BassLights" event in December 2012, marking the first-ever electronic music shows of its kind.
Collaboration with Mark Ronson with the Dap Kings, Eykah Badu with Trombone Shorty, Mos Def and Zigaboo Modeliste, Skrillex with the Doors, DJ.
Collaboration on a documentary exploring the story of Odesza and Pretty Lights, sparked through Instagram.
Derek Vincent Smith, known professionally as Pretty Lights, was born on November 25, 1981. He began his musical journey in the 8th grade, skateboarding with Michal Menert. The two, along with a drummer, formed a band called “The Freeze,” where Smith played bass guitar. Their early influences included artists such as the Beastie Boys, A Tribe Called Quest, and The Roots, as well as genres like hip hop, funk, punk rock, and skater culture. Smith attended the University of Colorado at Boulder but left during his freshman year to pursue music full-time.
Pretty Lights was initially a project in collaboration with Michal Menert, beginning in 2004. After Menert’s departure following their first album, Smith continued the project. By 2007 and 2008, Pretty Lights gained recognition by performing late-night sets for established acts like STS9 and Widespread Panic. His early appearances outside Colorado in 2008 included shows in San Francisco, Austin, and Fayetteville. The summer of 2009 saw Pretty Lights performing at major American music festivals such as Bonnaroo, Wakarusa, and Electric Daisy Carnival. Smith later embarked on a multi-city tour across the United States. In 2011, Smith ceased touring with a live drummer and launched his record label, Pretty Lights Music, which offered free downloads of all Pretty Lights albums and releases from other artists including Gramatik and Break Science. He also debuted a new light show involving LED towers designed to resemble a cityscape.
In 2012, Pretty Lights participated in the musical documentary “Re:GENERATION Music Project,” where he collaborated with country artists LeAnn Rimes and Ralph Stanley to create the track “Wayfaring Stranger,” merging electronic and country genres. His album, “A Color Map of the Sun,” released on July 2, 2013, marked a change in his production style, moving away from borrowed samples. For this album, Smith composed and recorded with session musicians in Brooklyn, New Orleans, and Denver, pressing recordings to vinyl and then integrating them with modular synths and digital production. The album received a nomination for Best Dance/Electronica Album at the 2014 Grammy Awards. Following this, Smith introduced the Pretty Lights Live band, featuring a rotating lineup of musicians, and continued to perform at festivals.
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