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
Solamente
Pretty Lights Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
all this time how i have yearned just to have my love returned
Pretty Lights's song Solamente is a poignant portrayal of the struggle with unrequited love and the resulting feelings of sadness and heartache. The opening line "sadness is just another way of life I've grown accustomed to by now" conveys a sense of resignation and acceptance of the overwhelming emotions that come with unfulfilled desires. The singer of the song has learned to live with the pain of unrequited love and has become desensitized to the sadness that it brings.
The second line "all this time how I have yearned just to have my love returned" reveals the root of the singer's melancholy. Despite longing for reciprocation, the object of their affection remains unresponsive or out of reach. The song touches on the universal theme of unrequited love, a feeling that many people can relate to and have experienced at some point in their lives. The lyrics are written with a deep sense of empathy and understanding for the emotional turmoil that comes with unfulfilled longing.
Overall, Solamente is a beautifully crafted song that captures the complexities of unrequited love with raw emotion and honesty. The lyrics are layered with nuance and the music provides a hauntingly beautiful backdrop to the words.
Line by Line Meaning
sadness is just another way of life i've grown accustomed to by now
Feeling sad is a usual part of my life that I have become used to over time.
all this time how i have yearned just to have my love returned
For a long time, I have been wishing and hoping for my love to be reciprocated.
Contributed by Colin B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Tom Smith
one of Dereks best songs in my opinion
Georgi Georgiev
The composition uses treble so well, I miss this -reminds me of Steely Dan at their peak.
john larose
We must go on
Michael Luciano
Derek is one of those electronic producers that understands dynamics, form and space so well. This song has all three 110%
cilantro boy
Agreed
Megan
I listen to this song sober, and it's still amazing.
phhill18
This song goes from being okay to stellar at 2:19, and (somehow) even better at 2:59. So sick.
lukatme2
I'm 42, just started listening to this guy a week ago, and am completely hooked. I can not get over how good it sounds!
general hades
absolutely love this song, so relaxing
Sauna Mad Man
Love this song