Sydney Blu’s career can be considered a journey of evolvement. With a tremendous passion for live performance, music production, and all-around artistic creativity, Sydney’s constant determination shines brightly through her accomplished Dj career. With beginnings in Toronto Canada playing for The Guvernment Nightclub, Footwork Nightclub, and the LGBTQ+ community, then following 6 years in the United States touring the continent and the globe, all the way to her present life in Berlin Germany, Sydney’s dedication to living her life through music is unbridled. A proudly Canadian artist, Sydney’s success is largely attributed to her relentless touring schedule which she’s upheld for several years. In 2009, Sydney Blu founded her imprint, Blu Music, on the principle of authentic, dancefloor-rich house and techno, the following year she extended her brand to another branch introducing her legendary Blu Party series which curates some of the greatest names of the underground house. On top of that, Sydney has released music on some of the most recognized labels in the industry including Hot Since 82’s Knee Deep in Sound, Steve Lawler’s VIVa Music, Desert Hearts Records, Deadmau5’s Mau5trap, Josh Butler’s Origins, Kevin Saunderson’s KMS Records, Roger Sanchez’s Undr the Rdr, Katerblau Berlin’s Katermukke Records, Carlo Lio & Nathan Barato’s Rawthentic Music and more.
Sydney has just delivered the latest installment of the Armigé Agency Series, and EG caught up with the Canadian powerhouse to learn more about her recent releases, the 23×23 initiative, and more.
EG: Hello Sydney! It’s a pleasure to have you here with us today. How have you been? Where are you right now?
Sydney Blu: Hello all! I am in Canada, getting ready to move back to my long-time home, Toronto.
EG: As we know, you came back to Canada from Berlin during Covid, and finished your album ‘Conviction’ during lockdown. What was that process like?
Sydney Blu: It was crazy! As COVID-19 hit, I was on my way back to North America for a tour from Berlin. The borders got shut down and I got stuck in my little hometown of Thunder Bay. I figured I’d make the most of the time off and got to work to finish the album. I still had a few more tracks to get done, so I wrote them at my Mom’s kitchen table! Then after the pandemic became a never-ending thing, I decided to stay in Canada which is why I’m now returning to Toronto.
EG: It seems inspiration is still running strong. You’ve had a wonderful release with ‘Slumber With A Key’, on Desert Hearts Black, which actually has a very interesting concept around it. Could you explain it to us?
Sydney Blu: Thanks! We’ve had some big support on it and I love working with Desert Hearts. ‘Slumber with a Key’ is the painting style of Salvador Dali. The concept was he would sit in his chair with a key in his hand and as he would drift off to sleep the key would hit the ground, he would wake up and paint what he dreamed.
EG: Any particular dreams triggered by the experience?
Sydney Blu: A couple of times I have been laying in bed and had a musical idea and got up to work on it. This is definitely something I have done. Our dreams are our subconscious and you never know what ideas may come from them.
“23by23 is a campaign to assist record labels in raising their percentage of women signed to the roster. We have signed a ton of women already, and we have lots of remix contests coming up with A-list labels and our partner, Native Instruments”
EG: And now you’re fresh off from your new EP on Kultur Records, Junior Sanchez’s label. What’s this one all about?
Sydney Blu: This one is just about house music. I wanted to make something more classic house-sounding, true to my roots. I feel like Kultur is the perfect label for this EP. ‘Seven Wonders’ is about what the music does to your body when you are feeling it and ‘Take that Chance’ has tons of energy and has been supported this month by Jamie Jones and Danny Howard from BBC.
EG: You have been touring extensively these past few months, even some US dates together with Joyce Muniz. Any highlights from the past couple of months? Where can your fans catch you next?
Sydney Blu: My shows with Joyce were amazing, both in Austin for SXSW and Vibe Vessell, and in Denver for Whirling Dervish. I also played a really fun rooftop event for Raya Disco in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Coming up, I have my return to CODA Toronto, I’m also playing Gorg-o-mish in Vancouver, my favorite club in the city, and I’m also playing the Don’t Trip Festival in Utah that Brett Rubin throws. I’ll also be making a pitstop at a Movement Festival Afterparty announced soon, and one of the amazing Electric Island festivals in Toronto (also announced soon.) There will be lots more than this announced shortly!
EG: The pandemic gave us all a chance to slow down, reassess, and have some much-needed discussions, especially in our scene. And it was also the perfect opportunity to launch your 23by23 campaign alongside Rebekah. What’s 23by23 all about? What has been done so far?
Sydney Blu: 23by23 is a campaign to assist record labels in raising their percentage of women signed to the roster. We have signed a ton of women already, and we have lots of remix contests coming up with A-list labels and our partner, Native Instruments. Some of the labels we work with are Toolroom Records, Club Sweat, SOMA Records, Hospital Records, Realm Records, Anjunadeep, Rawthentic Music, Eton Messy, Desert Hearts, and more! It’s been a huge success so far and lots of work but we have a massive community of 250 women, trans and non-binary artists and it’s only getting bigger.
EG: Speaking about our scene. What would you like to see more of, and what could we do with less of?
Sydney Blu: I want to see more diverse lineups on events and records labels. Miami Music Week baffled me. There were still SO MANY all dude lineups. So that answers the next question. I want to see LESS of all-male lineups. I don’t think this is acceptable anymore. There are so many amazing women, trans, non-binary artists out there, lineups should reflect the dance floor and the world.
“I also helped create a new single category at the same award show that I Chair, and it is called ‘Underground Dance Single of the Year’. Really cool artists like Jayda G, Blondish, HNTR, Carlo Lio, and Korea Town Acid were nominated for this one”
EG: What’s next for Sydney Blu in the next few months? What new milestones are you looking to celebrate?
Sydney Blu: I was just nominated for ‘Electronic Album of the Year’ at THE JUNO AWARDS, which is Canada’s big award show which is similar to The Grammys or The Brit Awards. I also helped create a new single category at the same award show that I Chair, and it is called ‘Underground Dance Single of the Year’. Really cool artists like Jayda G, Blondish, HNTR, Carlo Lio, and Korea Town Acid were nominated for this one. I’m really excited about the whole event which is on May 14/15!
EG: Thank you for your time, Sydney! We wish you all the best for the future!
Sydney Blu: Thanks …always love chatting with you folks!
Sydney Blu’s latest release, ‘Seven Wonders’, is out now via Kultur. Purchase your copy here.
Follow Sydney Blu: SoundCloud | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify
