After catching Pretty Lights’ set at this year’s Coachella it was pretty clear Derek Vincent Smith is more than a cut above the average dancefloor filling producer. Although lacing his sound with plenty of Triton-generated bass pulses and brash electro textures, Pretty Lights strangely reminds me more of vintage DJ Shadow than contemporaries like Deadmaus and Diplo. And that is a heaping compliment any way you slice it; his sound has a layered sophistication frankly absent from many of today’s beat-obsessed producers. Not to mention, his live production and pretty light show (sorry) is next generation. After 3 full albums of music, Smith announced he was releasing a Trilogy in 2010 to be given out free on his website. And while most free downloads have a track or 2 of juiciness surrounded by a sandwich of throwaway Wonder Bread, Pretty Lights 2 EPs thus far — March’s Making Up a Changing Mind and July’s Spilling Over Every Side — have been 100% prime quality cuts. And his 3rd, Glowing In The Darkest Night, is no exception. The people have spoken: Pretty Lights just celebrated the one millionth album download through his website. The Denver-based producer is kicking of an extensive tour to support Glowing In The Darkest Night, starting tonight in Tulsa OK, and continuing through 2011, peaking with a run of New Year’s Eve shows at Chicago’s Congress Theater (December 30th and 31st) with Major Lazer and Holy Fuck opening. Go forth now, and download Glowing In The Darkest Night. Enjoy your day of cubicle monkeying just a little bit more…

Pretty Lights Live @ Red Rocks July 2009 below, plus a complete list of Autumn/Winter Tour Dates after the Jump…

TOUR DATES

October 27 – Cain’s Ballroom – Tulsa, OK
October 28 – Lyric Theatre – Oxford, MS
October 29 – Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA
October 30 – Patriot’s Point – Charleston, SC
October 31 – MoogFest 2010 – Asheville, NC
November 2 – Bourbon Street Ballroom – Baltimore, MD
November 3 – Electric Factory – Philadelphia, PA
November 4 – The National – Richmond, VA
November 5 – House of Blues – Boston, MA – SOLD OUT
November 6 – Washington Avenue Armory – Albany, NY
November 7 – Higher Ground – Burlington, VT – SOLD OUT
November 8 – Higher Ground – Burlington, VT – SOLD OUT
November 10 – Madison Theatre – Covington, KY
November 11 – Boma – Columbus, OH
November 12 – Fillmore – Detroit, MI
November 13 – The Rave – Milwaukee, WI
November 14 – First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN
November 15 – Sokol Auditorium – Omaha, NE
November 17 – The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT
November 19 – Showbox SoDo – Seattle, WA
November 20 – McDonald Theatre – Eugene, OR
November 21 – Arcata Community Center – Arcata, CA
November 23 – Knitting Factory – Reno, NV
November 26 – The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA
November 27 – House of Blues – Las Vegas, NV
November 28 – House of Blues – San Diego, CA
November 30 – Rialto Theatre – Tucson, AZ
December 1 – The Marquee – Tempe, AZ
December 2 – Sunshine Theatre – Albuquerque, NM
December 3 – Telluride Conference Center – Telluride, CO – SOLD OUT
December 4 – Telluride Conference Center – Telluride, CO – SOLD OUT
December 5 – Belly Up – Aspen, CO – SOLD OUT
December 30 – The Congress Theater – Chicago, IL (w/ Major Lazer)
December 31 – The Congress Theater – Chicago, IL (w/ Holy Fuck)