Lost In Time With Nora En Pure

 INTERVIEW 

NORA EN PURE

Based in Switzerland but born in South Africa, Daniela Niederer aka Nora En Pure bears the sound of her heritage combining intricate, clean production with sun-drenched soundscapes filled with her passion for Africa. 

Since starting out in 2009, she grabbed the attention of major DJs with her 2010 remix of Daniel Portman’s ‘Khaweri’ [Milk & Sugar] that became the preferential mix. Since then her production career amped up with ‘You Make Me Float’ [Enormous Tune] hitting Beatport’s top 50 chart and earning a place on the coveted Buddha Bar compilation. ‘Come With Me’ [Enormous Tunes] further climbed the charts, grooving a niche within the Indie Dance sound and staying in the Beatport top 100 for more than 7 months.

Featuring frequently on respected compilations, Nora En Pure has amassed a strong fan base that, with a busy summer ahead, is sure to grow. Expect to her infectiously positive productions more often over the coming months.

Hello Daniela, welcome to think IN electronic. Firstly, I would like to thank you for taking time to answer a couple of questions regarding Nora En Pure and your upcoming True EP. It is an honour to be able to interview one of my favourite artists.

How are you doing?

Thank you, appreciate it. I’m very well.

1.     Can you tell us a little more about yourself on a non-musical front? What do you do when you are not making music?

I love doing outdoor stuff and some sport.  It’s a different way to relax and get away from the busy daily life. Being out in the nature is something essential for me – there I can find a lot of peace, similar to what music can give but in a different way.  But also being lazy at home watching series and enjoy some really good food is something I appreciate highly!!! ;)

2.     You go by the alias Nora En Pure, is there a specific meaning behind the name?

I came up with that name a long time ago and I’m not even sure anymore what exactly made me choose it. But I wanted a short simple name like Nora, but Nora alone would be too random, too easy to forget. Then my music contains a lot of organic elements, which might have lead me to the second part “En Pure”. All in all people seem to remember the name quite well which is great :)

3.     How did your passion for music begin and at what point did you decide to start producing? Also, who are some of your musical influences?

Passion for music has always been there, just maybe not to that extent that it is now. As children, my brothers and myself all played instruments and sang – not too well though haha …. – but music has always been around me. I grew up listening to rock and pop but also classical music. Even the mix between rock and classical fascinated me a lot, like Avantasia for example. Exceptional, different stuff always caught my intention.  With producing I started a few years back when I met some people who had their own professional studios. Before that, I didn’t even know much about electronic music but it captivated me instantly. I tried out different things and didn’t really think much, back then it was still only a hobby.

4.     I have been listening to your music for a few years now, but after hearing Come With Me I was cemented as a fan. The track ended up being my favourite track of 2013 and I’m sure many others agree, seeing as it stayed in the Beatport Top 100 for over 7 months. Did you expect this crossover success when you first released the track? 

Not at all :) It was actually one of those tracks you finish quite quickly and just feel right about it. Without giving too many thoughts to it… And then somehow it fitted in every DJ’s set, not really genre-dependent. So it got quite a big audience and people really seemed to love it.

5.     We are currently seeing a massive increase in the popularity of deep house and indie dance music both on the Internet and in clubs. What are your thoughts on this genre “boom” and what your thoughts for the future of the genre?

Hmm I don’t think it’s really a genre boom. Deep house has always been there, I just think that people are getting enough of the very loud and energetic bigroom EDM and are slowly moving back to something more chilled. Indie Dance is in its own way great. There are less rules of how the track should be constituted. There’s more space for trying out new things and I think that is what many producers and also the audience enjoy.

6.     Touring goes hand in hand with releasing music and I am sure you’ve had your fair share of travelling and performing over the past year. What was your favourite gig and what made it stand out?

There are many favourite gigs ;) In general, I’m just happy when there is a positive vibe, seeing people are having fun and enjoying the music WITH me. Sometimes it’s possible to create an intense connection between the audience and the music and that is when it feels amazing.

7.     Your tracks cover a very large range of instruments and sounds; do you play any of them yourself?

As a child, I played the transverse flute, piano and had a tiny knowledge about drums. I also took singing lessons but I still prefer to leave that to others ;) My brother actually always impressed me; he played the guitar, drums, piano and also sang. I guess growing up with many different sounds around me I got to appreciate all these instruments a lot and love using them in electronic music also. Not hard to guess, piano stays my favourite instrument. It’s a very soulful instrument and can arouse very deep feelings.

8.     We noticed you recently completed your BSc degree. How did you manage production, touring and your studies?

The BSc had priority. It’s not really working (for me) to tour and study simultaneously. So I just focused on my studies and produced in the meantime. When I was getting close to the degree, I gave some thoughts of how the next few years should look like. Many booking requests came in and I decided to give it a real chance and pursue what I love doing. It’s a creative journey and I’ll see where it will take me – so far it has given me the opportunity to experience many amazing moments and share them with a lot of people around the globe.

9.     Many South Africans do not know that you were actually born in Johannesburg; do you feel that you’ve had an easier time getting your music heard and released being in Switzerland and a part of Helvetic Nerds?

Yes, I believe it might be easier to work from here. But not for the first steps though. Getting your music heard is these days not so complicated any more thanks to the internet. But being part of the Helvetic Nerds definitely help a lot. It’s a strong supporting team with a lot of know-how that helped me through many decisions and finding my way. Now for touring it makes more sense to stay in a European country as there is more demand here and you are closer to everything.

10.   I noticed that the True EP, especially Higher In The Sun with Penny Foster, has some African elements in the production – is this related to your recent visit to South Africa?

In general, I love love love African sounds and also other exotic sounds. I always want to try out different things in my music. The original mix has even a stronger African vibe.

11.   What is your favourite track of the True EP? I’m really enjoying the title track as it is an excellent example of your production style.

I can’t really decide. ‘True’ is definitely the track, that embodies all the Nora style.  ‘Let The Light In’ is so calming and touches your soul in its own way. ‘Higher In The Sun’ leaves me with a super happy feeling, as it just reminds me very much of summer and Africa. All in all, I am very happy with this EP and I think it’s a great mix, there’s something for everyone. ;)

12.   And then to finish off, I know this has been asked many times before and I’m not sure if you’re allowed to answer me, but is there any hint of a possible South African tour this summer?

Haha, well it’s definitely on my wish list to come back and play in SA soon. Hopefully, I can make it soon happen :)

13.   Do you have any last messages for your fans and what can we look forward to in the upcoming months?

Certainly a big Thank You is needed at this point for all your love and support so far!!! It means a lot, that the country of my origins shares my love for this music so much.  :)Hopefully, I can deliver some more fresh music and surprise you with new things, there is some hot stuff in the pipeline, which I’m very excited about - so stay tuned, positive and let me know your thoughts. Hopefully see you soon ! :)

What a great interview! Thank you again for your time – your answers were very enlightening and I cannot wait to be able to add the EP to my playlist.”

If you enjoyed the EP’s previews you can listen to more of Nora En Pure’s music on her Soundcloud

at www.soundcloud.com/noraenpure.


And if you like to keep updated on further releases be sure to give her some social media love over at

www.fb.com/noraenpure
www.twitter.com/noraenpure 
www.instagram.com/noraenpure 
www.noraenpure.net

Interview By:

Matthew Deacon

www.twitter.com/dj_ginja