Born in South Africa and raised in Zurich, Switzerland, Daniela Di Lillo is exactly the kind of nuanced electronic artist that might not have fit into the Vegas club format just a few years ago. The serene, uplifting music she creates as Nora En Pure has been classified as deep house or indie dance, and those unique sonic sensibilities have propelled her up the ranks on the festival circuit, including one of her biggest gigs yet at Miami’s Ultra Music Festival last month. She has found a comfortable new Vegas home for 2019 and returns to the booth at EBC at Night this weekend.
You just played the main stage at Ultra for the first time. Do you feel like your sound stands out in the festival environment? I often feel like I’m a little bit the exotic one. ... It’s difficult to stick out these days, and there’s a lot of electronic music out there at the moment. It’s pretty hard to develop a unique characteristic, so from that sense I’m happy.
What is it that attracts you to that sound? I guess my biggest inspiration comes from nature. I’m a big outdoors person. ... Nowadays there is so much stress in our world, it’s all about work and constantly being reachable and online. The only place you can get away from all that is somewhere out in nature.
Did you pursue any other careers before music? I actually started in criminal psychology. I’ve always loved music and played different instruments and even had singing lessons, not that I would pursue that now.
You played last summer at Marquee Dayclub and have moved over Encore Beach Club this season. What’s that transition been like? I’m really happy to be here at Wynn. I got to play the Sunday of Art of the Wild, and it was really fantastic. I just loved it. Vegas is such a big scene and big platform for me, and I’m really excited for the summer.
It seems like your style is a perfect fit at Wynn. Definitely. A lot of my music is quite emotive and emotional and sometimes melancholic, so sometimes playing the more commercial venues is not as satisfying. I love to go a little deeper, so I’m really happy to be in this environment right now.
NORA EN PURE April 6, 10:30 p.m., $25-$45. Encore Beach Club, 702-770-7300.
