Pretty Lights on Monday wrapped up a three-night run at the sprawling Brooklyn Mirage in Brooklyn, NY. Among the highlights of the performance was a rendition of the forward-thinking electronic act’s “Sound of Silence”, a reimagining of the classic Simon & Garfunkel tune of the same name. Within that track, which stretched out to more than 11 minutes in length, Pretty Lights (real name Derek Vincent Smith) and his live band worked in several thematically appropriate samples including snippets of Phish, Run The Jewels, and more from the Swirl Bridge.
In Brooklyn, “Sound of Silence” began with its vocoder-laced snippet of the original song’s intro before launching into the ether, the members of the band tossing up musical ideas to swirl into the mix and keep the story moving. Among the homages that dotted the song were samples of Killer Mike‘s hook DJ Shadow‘s “Nobody Speak” featuring Run The Jewels (“Nobody speak, nobody get choked”), the titular line and main guitar riff from spacious Phish favorite “Free”, and the line from Trick Daddy‘s “Shut Up” (“Ah hah, okay, wassup? Shut up”).
As Derek said during the modular synth jam that followed the band’s “Sound of Silence” expedition, “We’re trying some shit out tonight, y’all. … We’ll see where it goes. We all about exploring that light, which… human energy I do believe falls in that category. And y’all shining bright right about now.”
The ongoing Soundship Spacesystem Tour, Pretty Lights’ first major outing in five years, features Smith alongside a live band comprised of Alvin Ford Jr. (drums), Chris Karns (turntables), Borahm Lee (keys), and Michal Menert (production, guitar). The tour’s elaborate production is helmed by a “visual band” comprised of LazerShark, Anti-Alias, and others.
Watch a clip of Pretty Lights sampling “Free” by Phish at Brooklyn Mirage below. Listen to a complete recording of the Monday night Brooklyn finale here.
The Pretty Lights Soundship Spacesystem Tour continues on October 19th, 20th, and 21st at Chicago, IL’s The Salt Shed. For a complete list of upcoming tour dates, head here.
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