Pretty Lights

Pretty Lights
Pretty Lights at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, Illinois on November 8, 2013
Background information
Also known as	Derek Vincent Smith
Origin	Fort Collins, Colorado
Genres	Electronica, hip hop
Years active	2004–present
Labels	Pretty Lights Music 8 Minutes 20 Seconds
Associated acts	GRiZ, Michal Menert, Break Science, Gramatik, Paul Basic, SuperVision, Eliot Lipp, Paper Diamond, Bassnectar, Listen
Website	prettylightsmusic.com
Members	Derek Vincent Smith
Past members	Michal Menert Cory Eberhard Adam Deitch

Derek Vincent Smith (born November 25, 1981), known by his stage name Pretty Lights, is an American electronic music producer. Pretty Lights was originally a music project consisting of him and Michal Menert, who left after the release of their first album.Rick Rubin once described Pretty Lights as "the face and voice of the new American electronic music scene".

Smith started skateboarding with Michal Menert in the 8th grade. The pair, together with a drummer Menert knew, began making music after Smith brought a bass guitar to a skating session. Paul Brandt (Paul Basic) eventually replaced their original drummer. Calling themselves "The Freeze", the band consisted of Derek Vincent Smith on the bass guitar, Michal Menert on the guitar and keyboard, and Paul Brandt on the drums. The group was influenced by artists like the Beastie Boys, Tha Alkaholiks, A Tribe Called Quest, Wu-Tang Clan, The Roots, and The Casualties as well as by old school hip hop, funk, punk rock, and the skater culture. The band placed second in a community battle of bands in their sophomore year. After graduating from high school, Smith attended University of Colorado at Boulder, but dropped out during his freshman year to focus on his music instead.

In the early 2000s, Smith performed as part of the band, Listen.

Derek Vincent Smith and Michal Menert began working on Pretty Lights in summer 2004. In 2007 and 2008, Pretty Lights began playing late nights for large acts such as STS9, The Disco Biscuits, and Widespread Panic. Some of his first appearances outside of Colorado were at the end of 2008 on October 31 at Club 6 in San Francisco, CA, November 14 at The Parish Room in Austin, Texas, and a December 6-7th show in Fayetteville, Arkansas at the former venue known as The Gypsy. In the summer of 2009, under the moniker Pretty Lights, Smith played at several major American music festivals, such as Bonnaroo, Forecastle, Wakarusa, Rothbury, Electric Daisy Carnival, Camp Bisco, and the 10KLF. The following autumn, he went on a multi-city tour of the United States.