Nora en Pure - Polynesia EP

Nora en Pure
Polynesia EP
2018
Spotify

Whenever you are looking for some really good deep house it's rarely wrong to go with Nora en Pure. Her star has been on the rise in the past few years headlining major festivals and getting on the main stages at Tomorrowland and EDC Miami. It's a huge shift for the Sweedish DJ from playing her bright fun version of deep house in clubs to playing it literally all over the world. Polynesia is her most diverse and splendid record to date. I know those are some big words, but where some of her albums have lulls, this album never lets you down. There is a patience that has come with fame for Nora, she doesn't force anything and instead allows the tracks to unfold before, just like all the best deep house. What is so wonderful about her music is how it invites you in, without pretense, and just asks you to experience it. Unlike a lot of DJs there are no pop aspirations on this album, no subtle shifts into a new more lucrative sound, Nora is making her music and will continue to do so regardless. Sticking to her guns doesn't just mean doing the same song over and over, it means embracing the genre, embracing her style and then moving from that point. It allows her music to have a real grounding and sense of self, you know a Nora en Pure song when you hear it. The bass will swell, a piano will tinker and maybe just maybe a wild animal will call out in the distance. It creates this whole atmospheric vibe while also taking you on an absolute cinematic journey through climbs and falls.

The thing Nora does better than almost anyone else is making her music feel wholly organic. It's not always what you are looking for in electronic music, but the way each of her songs sound like they are coming straight out of some jungle or forest is truly amazing. You can feel yourself soaring over trees as the synths skitter on "Riverwards Stream". It is the one time she falls back on some of the same strings she has used before, but they still sound oh so good. "Lioness" is an all out dance banger. The Xylophone base blooms into something totally new as the song grows and shifts all around. The build towards the end is relentless, putting down the beat until you almost cannot take a second more, then it gets deeper. Probably the most disappointing thing is how painfully short the album is. At only four tracks the record leaves you desperate for more, the kind of itch only a four hour DJ set can scratch. Get out there, go to a Nora en Pure show and have your life changed. You won't regret it.

8.8  out of 10