Nora En Pure: Force of nature

That means that frequent family holidays back to South Africa were always a huge highlight of her childhood. “The African nature and wildlife have always played a big role in my life,” she says from a window seat, tens of thousands of feet in the air. She always asks for one, so she can watch the world go by as she flies back and forth across it each and every weekend. “Nature and wildlife are still my absolute passion. Among them is where I feel most at home.”

Di Lillo says she feels as much a South African as she does Swiss, and reckons traits from both countries and cultures define her as a person, as well as her music. “When I am playing, I’m always very composed and I like to be in control of things, as well as having things go perfectly.” After recognizing all those traits are “quite Swiss,” she explains that the natural beauty of South Africa is super inspiring. Tracks of hers like ‘Saltwalter’ and ‘Zambia’ have sampled sounds of nature, which remind her of home, but also make them perfect for the open-air parties she likes playing, which in turn reminds her of a childhood spent outdoors.

“I don’t find much inspiration in the cities,” she says. “Cities are too busy and noisy for me, and often represent stress, competition, and hectic lives. Nature is tranquil, and I guess you can feel all those chilled-out vibes in my music. It is just what I connect with. At times I try to soundtrack a place I have seen, and try to take the listener away from daily stress. It is about escaping, but not in a super-emotional way, more that I feel our lives nowadays are too full of meaningless and unnecessary stress that we get caught up in. If my music can break you out of that for those few minutes and remind you of more important things in life, I’m more than happy.” 

She breaks out of her own stress by heading out with a camera to work on her photography, diving in the ocean or discovering new places, but says she “rarely finds time for these things.” On a more daily basis she gets outdoors with her dog as much as possible, and indulges in simple things like “good food and Netflix.” 

“My ideal day off in Switzerland would be to take my dog on a hike in the mountains during summer. She never gets tired and up there is a lot to discover, she can roam around quite freely, and I can have some fun with my camera as well. In South Africa it would be to just spend a day in the Kruger Park or somewhere else in the bush, feel the calmness and hear the animal sounds around me.” 

LEGACY 

Although Daniela makes a conscious choice not to engage with news and politics, she wonders if she should be better informed. “I prefer to occupy my mind with more cheerful or lighter things, and I have to admit, I’m quite deep in my own world of music and touring.” 

Her breakthrough came back in 2013 with ‘Come With Me.’ By then she had got into dance music thanks to her older siblings’ collections and by traveling to clubs in Zürich, and meeting friends that had their own studios. 

“I was blown away by how creative one can be,” she says. “Club music began to grow on me and I couldn’t resist that great energy that electronic music brings. With that background, I always wanted to combine organic instruments and sounds with club music.” That approach has resulted in a discography that includes thoughtful house music that works as well outside the club as it does on the dancefloor. 

“When you release a track to the public,” she reckons, “it’s a bit like publishing a book or a painting: Something that tells a story or evokes feelings in someone else that you have never met, and might even live on another continent. In 100 years it will still be there when you are gone, and might still touch someone, so there will always be a bit of you on this planet. I know it’s a bit weird, but I love that thought.” 

Di Lillo’s earliest musical experiments were “just for fun,” because she was completing a degree in Criminal Psychology. Once her studies were over, however, she allowed herself to get deep into music making. It soon paid off, the bookings began flying in, and she became part of a group of Swiss-based artists called Helvectic Nerds that built up a couple of labels together for different genres. It led to her heading out on a North American bus tour, but these days she goes it alone with her own brand, Purified. Its name comes from Di Lillo’s love of nature, and was initially a party series, then a radio show, and now a label. 

The imprint has been two years in the making, with lots of meetings fitted around a busy touring and studio schedule. Until now most of her music has come on Enormous Tunes, and it will continue to do so — but increasingly, her deep, melodic style is at odds with that label’s MO. In future, she will make more “funky” tunes for Enormous, and keep her headier fare for herself. “I want to feature emotional or melodic music that still has a lot of energy or groove,” she explains.

“It shall be a platform for music and producers I want to support, because people often tell me with astonishment how I feature quite unknown but amazing music in the radio show, which surprises me. Is that not what we are supposed to do if we have such a platform?” 

In future, there will also be label showcases featuring the acts that release on the label. “Like all my projects I tend to get a little obsessed with them, and want to make sure they are as good as possible," says Di Lillo, who has final say on all the details for her events, from the venues to the production.