Pretty Lights
Pretty Lights |
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Pretty Lights, real name Derek Vincent Smith, is an American electronic music artist from Fort Collins, Colorado.[1] Since July 2010, Adam Deitch has assisted during live performances. The name comes from a Pink Floyd concert poster that read "Come and watch the pretty lights!" [2]
History
Derek Smith wrote and produced hip hop music while attending high school, but the music of such artists as Aphrodite attracted him to American raves. After graduating from high school, he attended the Colorado State University, but dropped out during his freshman year to focus instead on his music.[3] In 2007 & 2008 Derek & cory began playing latenights for large underground acts such as STS9, The Disco Biscuits & Widespread Panic. Euphonic Conceptions Productions (CO based) is largely responsible for Pretty Lights early success in booking him around the USA. In the summer of 2009, under the moniker Pretty Lights, Derek Smith and Cory Eberhard played at several major American music festivals, such as Bonnaroo, Rothbury, the Electric Daisy Carnival, Camp Bisco, and the 10KLF. The following autumn, they succeeded their festival circuit with a multi-city tour of the United States.
In 2010, Pretty Lights played at the 2010 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, the Ultra Music Festival in Miami, the 2010 Marchone Music Productions Illumination Show in Nashville, the 2010 Evolve Festival in Nova Scotia, Movement 2010 (the Detroit Electronic Music Festival), the 2010 Starscape Festival, Camp Bisco 9, Nocturnal Festival at Apache Pass, Texas, the 2010 Electric Zoo at Randall's Island in New York City, New York, the North Coast Music Festival in Chicago, Illinois, and the Outsidelands Festival in San Francisco, California. More recently, the headlinined the Snow Ball in Avon Colorado along with Bassnectar and the Flaming Lips.
In 2010, Smith replaced Eberhard with Adam Deitch as drummer, debuting at Red Rocks on August 7, 2010[4] On January 25, 2011, Smith released two albums on his newly formed record label, Pretty Lights Music. The record label offers free downloads for any of Pretty Lights' albums plus Michal Menert, Paper Diamond and Break Science, all currently on Pretty Lights Music. A donation option is available, much as In Rainbows by Radiohead was released for its first month. Due to the free distribution of Pretty Lights' music, they have been gaining heavy popularity within festivals in the past years across the country.[5]
Style
Smith's music is the product of digital sampling and crosses many genres, forming a combination of "glitchy hip-hop beats, buzzing synth lines, and vintage funk and soul samples, sometimes grime." [6] Pretty Lights' sound is generated by synthesizing samples and organic beats using the monome and the Akai MPD32. Smith uses these digital controllers to program the music production software Ableton Live 8.
Discography
Albums
- ???: Electro City
- 2006: Taking Up Your Precious Time
- 2008: Filling Up The City Skies
- 2009: Passing By Behind Your Eyes
- 2010: "Glowing in the Darkest Night"
- 2010: "Spilling Over Every Side"
EPs
- 2010: NYE 2009 (Midnight at The Vic Theatre)
- 2010: Making Up A Changing Mind
- 2010: Spilling Over Every Side
- 2010: Glowing In The Darkest Night
- 2011: Unreleased 2010 Remixes
References
- ^ http://mtnweekly.com/derek-vincent-smith-aka-pretty-lights-starts-new-record-label-11176
- ^ "Pretty lights - Taking up your precious time".
- ^ Wenzel, John: "Pretty Lights' tunes are a thrill that you don't have to buy", The Denver Post, 9-27-09
- ^ http://www.relix.com/news/2010/07/28/adam-deitch-joins-pretty-lights
- ^ http://www.spinner.com/2011/01/11/pretty-lights-music-free-downloads/
- ^ Annika Heinle, The Stanford Daily. "Pretty Lights are pretty amazing".