Show promises dancing, mash-ups and plenty of Pretty Lights

Pretty Lights

April 6, 8 p.m.

Mr. Small’s Theatre

April 6, 8 p.m.

Mr. Small’s Theatre

$20

Depending on whom you ask, many people will agree that in contemporary music, any style that an artist could take on to perform has been nearly exhausted in terms of creative opportunity. When DJ and producer Pretty Lights wanted to do something new and progressive with his music, he decided to look to the past.

Pretty Lights, also known as Derek Vincent Smith, is part of a new movement in music known as digital sampling, popularized by artists like Aphrodite and Girl Talk. It’s a way of making music by taking samples of popular and familiar songs and juxtaposing them with original beats and melodies. The result is an experimental mix of the past, present and future, that, though maybe not to everyone’s exact taste, is an intriguing and developing genre.

Smith will perform on Tuesday, April 6, at Mr. Small’s Theatre in a show that will give listeners a taste of this new genre.

Each sampler has his own style, whether it is the loud, fast dance hall of Girl Talk or the hardcore “jungle” style of Aphrodite — and Pretty Lights is no exception. Classifying his style as “electro hip-hop soul,” Pretty Lights takes a slower, smoother approach. Songs aren’t just average dance club remixes. Pretty Lights’ songs, such as “Sunday School” and “More Important Than Michael Jordan,” have a seriousness to them that is unusual to the genre, which usually features a more upbeat mash-up of dance songs.

Though Smith prides himself on his current style, he admits he is open to change.

“I’ve adapted it to rock the dance floor while still maintaining my original soulful style to electronic music,” Smith said.

Smith credits his musical sensibilities in part to growing up in the Midwest — Fort Collins, Colo., to be exact.

“Basically, growing up in the middle of the country in a small city in Colorado exposed me to a bunch of different scenes and styles of music that all influenced me in one way or another, and helped me develop the current vision and sound of Pretty Lights,” he said.

According to Smith, the music scene in Colorado gave him the chance to get his foot in the door to the music industry.

“I think it was a cool place to grow up and develop a musical sensibility because I was exposed to so many scenes and genres,” he said. “I started going to shows and playing in bands when the punk scene was really popping off.”

When Smith was in high school and college, the underground hip-hop scene emerged in Colorado, and he had a chance to see and even open for every hip-hop act that came through to town, Smith said. Sometimes they even partied at his house after the show.

“I remember slap boxing Murs in my backyard after a Living Legends show,” he said. “I also remember kicking it with Aesop Rock on the rocking chair on my front porch until about 5:30 a.m.”

When writing songs, Smith samples many different artists, such as Wu-Tang Clan, Bonobo, Nate Dogg, Nina Simone, DJ Shadow and Pink Floyd. In fact, the name Pretty Lights stems from a poster advertising a Pink Floyd concert and laser show. However, Smith’s formula for picking a sample is tightly under wraps.

“It depends what I’m looking for. I’ve developed a process that I use, but that’s super top secret,” he explained.

“Sometimes I start with my Fender Rhodes and my synthesizers, sometimes I start with a fresh old vinyl sample, and then I build off that.”

Another important aspect of Pretty Lights is the live performance. Teaming up with drummer Cory Eberhard, Pretty Lights’ shows apparently live up to its name. Coupled with loud music and stunning visuals, a Pretty Lights show is what Smith calls, “interpretations of the album tracks with a lot of other special unreleased tracks and remixes.”

For now, Smith plans on keeping busy by continuing to tour, as well as turning his company Pretty Lights Music into a “new style” record label.

“I just want to continue making and releasing fresh music,” he said, “and continue pushing the boundaries of ‘fresh.’”