Sydney Blu Bringing The Blu Party To Toronto

The Festival Traveler sat down with the lovely and talented Sydney Blu this past weekend as she hosted her famous Blu Party, right here in Toronto. The Blu Party took place at Sunnyside Pavillion this year and was a great success with a full house, great music and great weather. Having originally launched it in 2010 during Miami Music Week, Sydney Blu brought her Blu party to Toronto in 2015. We wanted to know what brought her back home.

TFT: You have been in the house music scene for 16 years now! What was it that brought you into the scene of house music?

SB: When I was going to college in Ottawa, I was invited to an incredible nightclub called Atomic that played house music. Actually, that party had Joeski, one of the artists that’s playing right now during this interview, playing at it! That was basically my introduction to dance music and house music. I frequented as a customer of that nightclub and I paid every single week, every Saturday night, for two years to go to this club! And I went, studied, watched the DJ playing and I wanted to be him or her. I was inspired. When I graduated from college and moved to Toronto, I decided to become a DJ. I bought turntables, I learned how to DJ. That was my beginning, it was kind of my training ground. And I ended up creating a career here. I DJ’d as a local DJ for the first eight years that I lived here. And then after that I started touring and traveling every weekend to different cities and countries.

TFT: What brought you back to Toronto in 2015?

SB: I moved back to Toronto a year ago. I found I didn’t connect with others on the same level that I connected with people here. I wanted to relish in that again, because I would come home and feel so great, and then leave and think, ‘Ugh, I miss Toronto!’ I don’t like the cold so much here though! But overall, I want to be here because the people that I’m closest with are here and I connect with the music scene more. And I think they connect with me more than any other place as well.

TFT: Having traveled and performed all around the world, what role do you think Toronto

plays on a global scale? More specifically, what would you say Toronto has to offer to

the house music scene, as well as a travel destination?

SB: We just get the music more for some reason, I don’t know what it is. I feel like it’s a more authentic city. It might be because of the culture, or because it’s so multicultural here. I found that people in the United States did not get it in the way that they do here, and that’s why I came back. I came up in this scene here! So after leaving and traveling around and seeing other cities, I find they get it in some ways, but it’s way more authentic here.

TFT: If you could share with the world what makes our community so great and why the

festival traveler, your fans, are some of the best fans in the world, what would be your

message?

SB: They take the time to understand the music more than anything else. They don’t just listen to something that’s on the radio because it’s playing or because it’s commercial pop music. They investigate, research, find what they like, and are authentic too. And that’s why I like it. It’s a very niche, yet not so niche group anymore. It used to be more so underground, and now it’s definitely come to the surface a bit more. But the people that listen to this music, they take the time to really learn about it, you know?

TFT: Who's your favourite DJ?

SB: I’d probably say Green Velvet right now. And Hot Since 82 is my equal favourite as well! I love everything that both of those guys are putting out musically.

TFT: If you could be any animal, which animal would you be and why?

SB: Haha, I’d be a dog because I love dogs. I’m a huge dog person! End of story.

TFT: What's your favourite comfort food?

SB: Probably poutine. I love poutine so much.

Syndely Blu, we loved getting the chance to chat with you. You are as authentic as the people you came back to connect with. We too love poutine, dogs and your amazing taste in music! Looking forward to the next Blu Party.

The Festival Traveler (TFT)