Derek Vincent Smith has been fabricating aural landscapes as Pretty Lights since his first album dropped in 2006, giving away all his music for free on his website. Supported by fan donations, touring and merchandise, the Colorado producer’s sound has evolved from hip-hop-influenced ambiance to banging glitch-inspired dubstep and electro on his latest six-track release, Making Up A Changing Mind, the first in a series of three EPs that will come out before the end of 2010–and all this comes after PL just put out album number three, Passing By Behind Your Eyes, on October 6, 2009.
The man is becoming prolific as he extensively tours including stops at this year’s Coachella and SXSW. Coming to the Roseland Theater as part of the Soul’d Out Music Festival on Wednesday, April 14th, PL does not play a DJ set. He brings along his Monome and live drummer Cory Eberhard. The duo combines machine with man–electronic tapping with crackling drums that stop and start, bend and break, always together, with ultimate precision–all backed by a euphoric multimedia show of dazzling lights and transmuting video.
But as the beat dropped and the drum kicked, this sabbath day gathering was not about praising a ritual deity but rather about reviving musical lore.
The instantly recognizable drone from Biggie coupled with the raging, harsh lyrics "Fuck Him, I didn't wanna go to Heaven anyways" let everyone know what kind of church we were in.
This Sunday's best included short skirts, sparkly face paint, and fanny packs congregated in the nave of the Crystal Ballroom under impish frescoes and colonnades topped by cackling jokers all to exalt the Pretty Lights.
Derek Vincent Smith of Pretty Lights beamed life back into old vinyl cuts but not just by spinning and sampling. Hunched over the glowing lights on his Monome 128, he organically mixed and meshed delicate sounds with deft accuracy.
Complemented by live drummer Cory Eberhard, the pair resurrected hammered beats while forging new material and playing with osmotic precision as Smith manipulated the electronics and Eberhard the sticks. The duo simultaneously, continuously changed tempos and transformed rhythms fueled by the bouncing crowd.
Backed by a multimedia show teeming with acidic oscilloscope visualizations, blinding strobes, and yes, a rainbow of pretty lights. He took the audience for a zooming joy ride strapped to the fender of the big red PL bus cruising through the city lights of Chicago, NYC or maybe even Denver—showing us the companioning cityscapes to his immense soundscapes.
The west coast was not neglected as the kids grinded to snippets of "Shake, shake it baby" from "California Love" buzzing to afros and disco hustle above.
Stating there'd be no encore, Pretty Lights continued to smash through cut after cut of tantalizing dance anthems with the crowd sweating along and the Crystal's windows clouded by a moist haze like after a steamy shower.
Absorbed in the keypad before him, a Rubik's Cube of color and rectangles blipped behind the band, and a classic Jordan finessed his way along the baseline and onto the screen for a flash on "More Important Than Michael Jordan."
The finale of Wreckx-N-Effect's "Rump Shaker" vs "Paper Planes" by M.I.A. tastily blended the choral lyric "All I wanna do" to the delight of manic mob.
At the close, Smith humbly thanked Portland for coming out and asked the people to buy a t-shirt or hat to support the free music.
Half man, half machine. Organic and electro DJ coexisting. Beautifully.
Like so many opposites, these not only attract but blend seamlessly into a mind-blowing oblivion of flowing rhythms and soulful noise that will make you tingle and smile.
Derek Vincent Smith is Pretty Lights out of Colorado but he combines forces on Sunday, October 18th with drummer Cory Eberhard at the Crystal Ballroom.
The two communicate through a kind of clairvoyant sign language where drummer and electrician navigate from breakbeats to jazzy snares constantly manipulating the music while feeding off the crowd's aura.
Sampler extraordinaire, Pretty Lights is no petty pickpocket. This artist presents deftly crafted tracks ranging from laid-back ambiance to banging club jams, fusing "obscure old vinyl, analog synthesizers, and vintage dub gear," as Smith states on his MySpace.
His latest Passing By Behind Your Eyes, released on October 6th, is album #3 and available for free (along with his others) on his website. This one's replete with the PL trademark vivacious soundscapes, blended so sweetly that you'll soar, and meshed with hip-hop undertones, all sealed by vocals from Biggie on "Sunday School."
With a name inspired by a 1966 Pink Floyd concert poster, Smith is stepping up the multimedia show orchestrating a full sensory experience as you feel the bass bang in your bones, bounce your head and look around yourself. All the fine, moist people will be drenched in neon oranges and reds and blues, just vibing to the ubiquitous beat.
Derek Vincent Smith has been fabricating aural landscapes as Pretty Lights since his first album dropped in 2006, giving away all his music for free on his website. Supported by fan donations, touring and merchandise, the Colorado producer’s sound has evolved from hip-hop-influenced ambiance to banging glitch-inspired dubstep and electro on his latest six-track release, Making Up A Changing Mind, the first in a series of three EPs that will come out before the end of 2010–and all this comes after PL just put out album number three, Passing By Behind Your Eyes, on October 6, 2009.
