DJ/Producer Nora En Pure was born in South Africa, and this influence can be immediately be heard in her natured infused blend of electronic. Her music, such as the forever summer anthem “Uruguay” (with Sons of Maria), brings a brighter side to to the dancefloor, and is the perfect soundtrack for the beginning of spring. Check out some of Nora En Pure’s favorite songs at the moment, including cuts from her latest EP, Conquer Yosemite.

How did you find electronic music? I got into electronic music after I visited some of my friend’s studios in Zurich, and I realized how creative and free one can be with it. I checked how other tracks were built and tried to do the same. To be able to put tracks out there and not be judged during the whole process really excited me. Only at a later stage I got in touch with the whole club culture.Nora En Pure - Diving With Whales (Extended Mix)

What is it about dance music that is so special to you? There are no rules. You can come up with completely new ideas, work on things wherever and whenever you want and then try them out in a club at night and be connected to hundreds of people through music. It is amazing. I also feel I found my niche, my own style through connecting classical instruments and nature with electronic music. The result is pretty unique, calm but powerful & soulful.

How do you approach a production? At times I find a cool sample or have a nice melody in my head and start with that and build the rest around it step by step. Or sometimes I just start with the beat and hope for some inspiration to come my way. I usually incorporate a lot of organic sounds and have a scenery in my mind that I want to depict in the track and want to take the listener there. I feel this makes my music also more accessible to people that are maybe not so fond of electronic music.

Any passions other than electronic music? I love all creative things like photography and painting. I actually see many parallels in these and going from one project to another sometimes helps to get the perspective back and solve something where you were stuck.

Other than that, coming from South Africa, I am a huge nature person! I love being outside and nature and animals fascinate and inspire me so much. All things that I feel are resembled in my music.

Is there a particular gig that stood out from 2016? That is so difficult to decide (as I have been touring almost non-stop the whole year)! There are many outstanding gigs that are always special in their own way. It all depends on the club, the crowd, how the set evolves and if the crowd and I are on the same level. Thinking back, I had really great moments in Australia, New York, Toronto and South Africa.

What are you working on for 2017? I feel I am constantly working on new stuff. Now I just released a big EP called Conquer Yosemite, which is very diverse and I’m very fond of. We are working on doing different Purified events around the globe, featuring only quality acts and hopefully in unique amazing locations. But also this needs a lot of planning and being on tour constantly makes it a little tricky. I am sure this year I’ll be back again on all continents and hope to inspire more people with my music.

Any advice for other DJs/producers? Remain humble, persistent and patient. Give yourself time to learn and improve and have an open mind. Also, try to identify which critics are constructive and will actually help you to get further and which critics bring you down and make you insecure. With creative work you can easily end up in spirals of self doubt, so it is important to learn a way around it or how to deal with it efficiently.