Meet Daniela Niederer, better known as Nora En Pure: a South African-born, Swiss-residing deep house DJ and producer that has taken the deep house world by storm. Her latest tour, which kicked off in October of this year, put her in venues across the globe and finishes up as 2016 comes to a close.
We had the opportunity to catch her set in San Francisco at 470 Stevenson – a killer performance of deep house vibes in an intimate setting downtown. Afterwards, we were able to catch up with Daniela to hear about her start and her current place in the musical world.
What was the inspiration behind the name “Nora En Pure? Why did you choose it?
“Back then I wasn’t even sure that something would actually come of making music, so I just chose something spontaneously! I wanted it to be catchy but still different and exotic and the ‘pure’ fits nicely to my sound.”
Tell me about your start as an artist.
“I’ve always been musical, but I only became really into dance music when I met some friends who had their own studio. They showed me the basics, and I was amazed by how flexible you could be with it. I became very much hooked on creating my own material, and spent many late nights in the studio experimenting with different things.
My career really kicked off when I released ‘Come With Me’ back in 2013. Originally it was going to be the B-Side track, but we changed it around last minute. Through this track, I began to receive many more booking requests and the rest is history!”
How did your upbringing influence your musical style?
“Growing up in South Africa, we were always around wildlife and nature. I think this has a big influence on my music, as I like to create tracks that transport the listener to an exotic or adventurous place!”
Do you have a pre-show ritual?
“Not really! I usually insist on a drink before the set but that’s about it. I like to approach sets in different moods and take the moment as it is.”
What has been your biggest career moment thus far? Your most memorable?
“So many incredible moments happened this year, like my originals ‘Morning Dew’ & ‘Lake Arrowhead’ being premiered by Pete Tong as Essential New Tunes. Also, I had the honour of remixing Faithless’ ‘I Was There’, which was very rewarding for me. Being added to the Coachella lineup was also really cool!”
Tell me about your current tour – what has been your favorite spot so far? Which venue has had the best crowd? Are there any spots you’re looking forward to the most?
“I had some great moments in Australia at the beginning of this tour. I loved Cairns – what an amazing little spot and the festival series we did in some cities over there was so much fun!
In US I was happy to get to some new smaller cities where I haven’t had played before. I loved places like Santa Barbara, Denver, Albuquerque! Its always cool to go to new places and feel the enthusiasm and support.