Pretty Lights Illuminate The U.S.

When Pretty Lights was on the cover of “Pollstar” magazine in November, his agent promised that an extensive tour was planned for 2012. The electronic dance music artist is keeping his word by announcing a new trek featuring more than 40 summer and fall dates.

The man behind Pretty Lights says he’ll soon have some new music for fans. So far Pretty Lights has given away more than 2.8 million free album downloads.

“I’ve been hard at work on a new album for more than a year,” producer Derek Vincent Smith said. “I’ve completely switched up my process of producing and composing. It is being created from all originally composed samples off of self made vinyl and all analog modular synthesis.

“It’s prolific, conceptual, consistent, yet extremely diverse, and a real substantial piece of music you can sink your teeth into. ‘The Illumination Tour’ will be the place to hear (and see) a lot of what this upcoming PL release has in store.”

Photo: John Davisson

Sasquatch! Music Festival, Gorge Amphitheatre, Quincy, Wash.

The Illumination Tour begins with two previously announced sold out gigs in Morrison, Colo., at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre Aug. 17-18. Next Pretty Lights will light up Kansas City, Mo., at The Midland By AMC Aug. 23.

The extensive tour features dates all the way up through a Nov. 17 gig near Detroit in Plymouth, Mich., at Compuware Arena.

Stops along the way are scheduled in Pittsburgh (Sept. 1); San Francisco (Sept. 14); Las Vegas (Sept. 16); Houston (Sept. 23); Orlando, Fla. (Oct. 3); Boston (Oct. 31); and Charlotte, N.C. (Nov. 10).

Pretty Lights will take the stage at a number of festivals including Summer Set Music & Camping Festival in Somerset, Wis. (Aug. 26); Electric Zoo New York in NYC (Aug. 31) and North Coast Music Festival in Chicago (Sept. 2).

Tickets for the first leg of headline dates Aug. 23 through Oct. 6 are on sale now, with the exception of Council Bluffs, Iowa (on sale June 30); Mobile, Ala. (on sale July 2) and San Francisco (on sale July 13).

Supports acts include DJ Shadow, 12th Planet, araabMUZIK, MartyParty, Zion I, Big Gigantic and Lotus, in addition to Pretty Lights Music artists Paul Basic and SuperVision.

For more information visit PrettyLightsMusic.com.