Derek Vincent Smith (born November 25, 1981) is an American electronic musi… Read Full Bio ↴Derek Vincent Smith (born November 25, 1981) is an American electronic music artist who performs under the stage name Pretty Lights. He is also the proprietor of an associated music label, Pretty Lights Music.
Smith's music relies heavily on digital sampling and crosses many genres, forming a combination of "glitchy hip-hop beats, buzzing synth lines, and vintage funk and soul samples.". Pretty Lights' sound is generated by manipulating samples and organic beats using the Novation X-Station, monome and the Akai MPD32. Smith uses these digital controllers to program the music production software Ableton Live 8. When performing live, Smith uses two Macbook Pros running Ableton Live 8 and two Akai MPD32s. Smith usually considers his music as "Electro Hip-Hop Soul", a mix between elements of electronic based music, and beats from hip-hop and soul music.
Pretty Lights released A Color Map of the Sun on July 2, which is Grammy nominated for the Best Dance/Electronic Album . The two-CD collection contain the 13-song album A Color Map of the Sun plus a second album, Live Studio Sessions From A Color Map of the Sun.
A Color Map of the Sun builds on the original Pretty Lights sound and style that Smith pioneered. He spent a year composing and recording music and vocals that emulated genres and time periods that spanned the last century, then pressed it to vinyl. He used that vinyl along with a custom built analog modular synth to create A Color Map of the Sun. The resulting album is analog electronica – soulful, electro hip-hop that pays respect to music’s immense power to touch listeners emotionally, kinetically and inspirationally.
For more information and to download all Pretty Lights albums at no cost, visit http://www.prettylightsmusic.com.
Flitting between moody downtempo and upbeat, densely layered material geared for club play, Colorado's Pretty Lights was the project of Derek Vincent Smith. Smith spent his high school years making hip-hop and ultimately dropped out of his freshman year at the University of Colorado at Boulder to focus on his music. He made his recorded debut as Pretty Lights in 2006 with the full-length Taking Up Your Precious Time, which he supported with gigs for acts including STS9, the Disco Biscuits, and Widespread Panic. From there, he kept up a busy release schedule for the rest of the 2000s, issuing the double album Filling Up the City Skies in 2008 and another full-length, Passing by Behind Your Eyes, the following year. In 2010, Pretty Lights went on an extensive North American tour, playing that year's Coachella, Ultra, Movement, and Electric Zoo festivals, among other stops. Smith continued touring into 2011 and also developed his Pretty Lights Music imprint, releasing albums by Michal Menert, Gramatik, and Eliot Lipp. In 2012, Smith appeared in the music documentary Re:GENERATION Music Project and began work on Pretty Lights' fourth album. Instead of sampling existing recordings, Smith worked with longtime drummer Adam Deitch, Soulive's Eric Krasno, the Harlem Gospel Choir, and members of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the Treme Brass Band to create vintage-sounding original music that he then refashioned into the Pretty Lights sound. The results were 2013's A Color Map of the Sun, which became the first Pretty Lights album to be released physically and digitally at the same time. ~ Heather Phares & Andy Kellman, Rovi
Smith's music relies heavily on digital sampling and crosses many genres, forming a combination of "glitchy hip-hop beats, buzzing synth lines, and vintage funk and soul samples.". Pretty Lights' sound is generated by manipulating samples and organic beats using the Novation X-Station, monome and the Akai MPD32. Smith uses these digital controllers to program the music production software Ableton Live 8. When performing live, Smith uses two Macbook Pros running Ableton Live 8 and two Akai MPD32s. Smith usually considers his music as "Electro Hip-Hop Soul", a mix between elements of electronic based music, and beats from hip-hop and soul music.
Pretty Lights released A Color Map of the Sun on July 2, which is Grammy nominated for the Best Dance/Electronic Album . The two-CD collection contain the 13-song album A Color Map of the Sun plus a second album, Live Studio Sessions From A Color Map of the Sun.
A Color Map of the Sun builds on the original Pretty Lights sound and style that Smith pioneered. He spent a year composing and recording music and vocals that emulated genres and time periods that spanned the last century, then pressed it to vinyl. He used that vinyl along with a custom built analog modular synth to create A Color Map of the Sun. The resulting album is analog electronica – soulful, electro hip-hop that pays respect to music’s immense power to touch listeners emotionally, kinetically and inspirationally.
For more information and to download all Pretty Lights albums at no cost, visit http://www.prettylightsmusic.com.
Flitting between moody downtempo and upbeat, densely layered material geared for club play, Colorado's Pretty Lights was the project of Derek Vincent Smith. Smith spent his high school years making hip-hop and ultimately dropped out of his freshman year at the University of Colorado at Boulder to focus on his music. He made his recorded debut as Pretty Lights in 2006 with the full-length Taking Up Your Precious Time, which he supported with gigs for acts including STS9, the Disco Biscuits, and Widespread Panic. From there, he kept up a busy release schedule for the rest of the 2000s, issuing the double album Filling Up the City Skies in 2008 and another full-length, Passing by Behind Your Eyes, the following year. In 2010, Pretty Lights went on an extensive North American tour, playing that year's Coachella, Ultra, Movement, and Electric Zoo festivals, among other stops. Smith continued touring into 2011 and also developed his Pretty Lights Music imprint, releasing albums by Michal Menert, Gramatik, and Eliot Lipp. In 2012, Smith appeared in the music documentary Re:GENERATION Music Project and began work on Pretty Lights' fourth album. Instead of sampling existing recordings, Smith worked with longtime drummer Adam Deitch, Soulive's Eric Krasno, the Harlem Gospel Choir, and members of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the Treme Brass Band to create vintage-sounding original music that he then refashioned into the Pretty Lights sound. The results were 2013's A Color Map of the Sun, which became the first Pretty Lights album to be released physically and digitally at the same time. ~ Heather Phares & Andy Kellman, Rovi
Always All Ways
Pretty Lights Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Always All Ways' by these artists:
Boa 잔잔했던 니 맘은 이미 나란 감당 못할 파도가 일지 Oh 알지만 좀…
BoA feat. Chancellor 잔잔했던 니 맘은 이미 나란 감당 못할 파도가 일지 Oh 알지만 좀…
Lostprophets I guess I'm trying to say I'm sorry But it always…
Lostprophets - Liberation Transmission I guess I'm trying to say I'm sorry But it always…
Sean Eldon Outpatient echoes flow and shudder through the oaks And I wa…
We have lyrics for these tracks by Pretty Lights:
Around the Block My goddess eh The bi-product of New York City nights When yo…
At Last I Am Free at last i am free. i can hardly see in…
Change Is Gonna Come I was born by the river In a little tent Oooooh and…
Cold Feeling theres a cold feeling in my heart. the time for…
Drift Away Close your dreary eyes and drift away It's alright Close... …
Evening Sun on and on the rain will fall, drying in the color…
Finally Moving I get a good feeling, yeah Oh, sometimes I get a…
Finally Moving Remix Oh, sometimes I get a good feeling, yeah Get a feeling…
Gazing At The Glare Who am i, if the sun don't shine and the…
Hot Like Sauce Life is too short to have sorrow You may be here…
I Can See It In Your Face I can see it in your face I can see it…
I Know The Truth Have mercy, on me now Have mercy, on me now Have mercy Me…
If I Could Feel Again she said ill do anything to make myself feel pretty…
Let the World Hurry By Ooh We're no strangers to love You know the rules and so…
Lost and Found What is this I can not see In the dark That hides from…
Make You Feel give me some of that good old love let me make…
Maybe Tomorrow you look so sad. you're all alone maybe tomorrow.we'll all …
More Important Than Michael Jordan I love you, don't ever go. I'm lonely baby. I'm lonely bab…
My Other Love Oh what can i do? o yea My other love she's…
Out Of Time A spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down Music My…
Pop Quiz you are fly, you are free, you are family i see…
So Bright The light is shining bright So bright, so bright, I forgot…
Solamente sadness is just another way of life i've grown accustomed…
Still Night The moon, it's so pale And the night is so real You…
The Time Has Come the time has come for bad things to end, the…
Yellow Bird Yellow bird, yellow bird, yellow bird don't fly away (Fly fl…
You Get High Listen ol′ keeper, They all tell you no lies, Ouh ouh ouh Yo…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
More Genres
No Artists Found
More Artists
Load All
No Albums Found
More Albums
Load All
No Tracks Found
Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Search results not found
Song not found
Chris Melisse
Pretty Lights was pretty much the soundtrack to my mother's last days. Bumped it night and day alongside stuff like Bonobo, Blockhead, RJD2, Menahan Street Band, Onra, Dilla, Shadow and Lemon Jelly, etc., but nothing evoked emotion quite like this. Back and forth to Chemo, doctor's appointments, hospital stays and it was always one of her favorites during the car rides as well. She asked for it to be played in her last hours. Might sound a little depressing, but nothing brings a tear to my eye, smile to my face, kick for that bass, like some Pretty Lights. The all encompassing soundtrack to everything there is to live. Props and peace.
Collin Aldridge
😭 I feel this. I lost my mom to it in 2016. There are so many songs I've wanted to share with her since, so I just play them and hope she's there listening.
LightsPretty17 *
Well said man. Keep ya head up.
COsoul
This is going to be remembered as one of the greatest songs of its generation
Brandon Bradshaw
This whole album is one of the greatest
COsoul
a house?
Jake Wells
What cave do you live in?
Rick Kemp
saw him live and it changed my life man greatest night of my life by far
hitty710 420
Haha rickyyyy my OG rave fam ❤️
Andrew Johnson
Welcome to the family!