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.