“Rarities from the Past” – Pretty Lights release USB 2.0

photo by B.a.D Photography

I’ve been been eagerly awaiting next week for my trip to George, WA. I will finally be able to catch a Pretty Lights Episodic Festival! In fact, many fans are traveling from near and far to witness Pretty Lights Live: Episode 6 featuring supporting performances by Atmosphere, Sound Tribe Sector 9, Tipper, Lettuce, Cherub, Manic Focus, Kasbo, Marvel Years and Maddy O’Neal .

I’ve been checking the weather non-stop (warning- it’s going to be HOT! – in the 100’s!!) and endlessly checking, double-checking my festival gear packing list. I  finalized my road trip route from San Francisco to Portland to the final destination- THE GORGE! With all this planning, I was pleasantly surprised to find an alert on my phone from Soundcloud stating that Derek Vincent Smith (DVS), also known as Pretty Lights, had shared some new music via USB 2.0 to some lucky fans. I quickly opened the Soundcloud application on my phone and saw that Pretty Lights had DONE IT AGAIN!  He released a second wave of USB files that contained 16 tracks from previous sets and his archives. To say these 16 tracks are rare would be an understatement!

Many of you Pretty lights fans are aware of USB 1.0, but if you aren’t DVS sent out a USB drive containing unreleased “Flips” from season one of his Episodic Festival journey. The Flips included multiple sets from festivals such as Euphoria, Okeechobee, and Telluride.  The USB not only contained his music, but also announced his Red Rocks and Chicago performances.  As Pretty Lights Live gears up for the second season of their highly-anticipated Episodic Festivals, Smith pushed the envelope even further with the announcement of the “Pretty Lights Movement” – a movement that aims to incorporate fans into Smith’s long-standing and supportive creative community through the sharing of art, friendship, and inspiration. Following his set at 400 Fest, Smith entrusted some of his fans with the ultimate gift – another USB stick!!!

Derek Vincent Smith of Pretty Lights wrote the following to his fans:

To celebrate the new season of the Episodic Festival series, premiering next week on August 4th and 5th at The Gorge Amphitheater in George, WA, Pretty Lights has released a collection of rare, and unreleased tunes into the hands of fans in the form of USB 2.0. As the “Pretty Lights Movement” project continues to evolve, the idea of getting old and rare tunes to the fans as a way to progressively collaborate, bring the entire community together, share art in a different format, and move these rare pieces of sound forward to the social media platform also continues to evolve.

The Pretty Lights team has big things in store for this years Episodic Festival Series and the rest of 2017, along with the growing #PLMovement project… The expansion of this idea, the ongoing collaboration within the PLF community, and the sharing of art from all the different artists involved in new progressive ways, are things to look forward to from the PL team and the family in the near future… Stay Tuned!

Take a listen to the 16 new tracks below!