While dubstep gripped the early-2010s masses with its abrasive synths and nosediving drops, Pretty Lights showcased bass music’s softer side. The producer’s kaleidoscopic sounds lie at the intersection of electronic, hip-hop, funk and soul, with basslines big enough for festival stages while maintaining supremely heavy chill. Derek Vincent Smith (born in 1981 in Fort Collins, CO) launched Pretty Lights in 2004 as a duo with Michal Menert, and they released their debut album, Taking Up Your Precious Time, in 2006. After Menert’s departure, Smith continued the project as a solo artist. His work is layered in downtempo beats, trippy textures and samples primarily of other artists, but his 2013 Grammy-nominated opus, A Color Map of the Sun, featured all-original material. Pretty Lights returned in 2023 following a five-year hiatus, looking to push bass music’s boundaries once more.