Have you ever heard of the First Lady of House? If you haven’t you soon will.

Hailing from the land of hockey, tuques and the Looney, producer/DJ/musician Sydney Blu is taking the club world by storm with her hard-hitting, in-your-face style of spinning. Sydney now spends her downtime in the warmth of Miami trading in a parka for a constant tan.

Watch her spin “Freak” by Auto Erotique:

Nominated for America’s Best DJ of 2011, Sydney is currently on tour in North America promoting her recent release Nervous Nightlife: Live at the Mansion. With hardly any free time, Sydney has gracefully given time to answer a few of our questions.

How long have you been DJing/Producing/ Creating your own music? What is it about House music that makes you want to push the envelope of that style?

I have been DJ-ing for 12 years. I’ve been writing music for about 7 years now. House music is just basically the love of my life. I have played all different genre’s of house through out my 12 years of DJ-ing …..but the bottom line if HOUSE is what made me get into DJ-ing and will always be the reason I do what I do.

Why did you start your own label vs. trying to get on a major label? Is this a harder process to do? What are the drawbacks and the gains of doing this?

Well I was on a major label (Mau5trap) and then i started the label. I started it to get my own identity and to start my own brand. It’s been a success. I am, however, really swamped with it and ready to probably partner up with a bigger label management company that will take the stress off my hands. Artists can only really run their own label for a certain amount of time until they realize …this is just too much!

Is it hard for a female DJ to get noticed in a male dominated industry? For you, what sets yourself apart from the boys when it comes to performing?

I do not consider myself a ‘female’ DJ…..that’s probably why I do as well as i do. I don’t use that as a way to get gigs or attention. The only thing that sets me apart from boys is my body parts. Haha! … and clothes … and, I guess sometimes I dance a bit more like a pop star. I used to be a cheerleader … you can definitely see the cheerleader come out in my sets sometimes. But other than these little things, I’m just a musician working hard.

I see that Madonna is a main influence.. What is it about her that makes her an influence? What are your other primary influences that motivate the direction of your music?

She is my icon, my inspiration. I just love her SO much. The reason I think she is such a huge influence in my life is her long-time career of evolving and pushing the boundaries, her success at literally being the BEST at what she does, her message in life, and hows she’s grown as a person. She really has a message out there for people. Maybe it’s because of having children, but the point is she knows that in life there are things that matter and things that don’t. You can really tell how much she evolved from Ray of Light and her albums onward. Anyway, I think everyone could learn something from her. Other influences of my own music are just the artists that i am currently listening to. I love Funkagenda. I love Thomas Gold. I love John Dahlback. Those guys are my friends but also people who’s music I listen to and definitely get inspired by.

Where do you see the future of electronic music going and how do you want to play a role in that direction?

I see it going commercial. I also see some of it staying underground. I love it all…..well not ALL of it, but I really try to have an open mind to all kinds of electronic music. I even enjoyed a Skrillex set this summer at a festival I played at with him. I think it’s just good for the industry to have such a buzz right now. We’ve been waiting for this for how long? Let’s not complain about it now.

What was your reasoning of releasing “Live At The Mansion?” What was it about that mix that defines who you are? I noticed that one of your tracks on the album “Come with Me” contains a same sample that Moby used on his “All I Want is To Be Loved” of the Move EP with the lyric being “Can’t you see I want to be with you.” Is this a shout out to him or is it purely coincidental?

The album was something I decided to do when I moved to Miami and take up the residency at Mansion. The mix was some of my favorite songs and my own music most importantly. It was 80% my own production. The song ‘Come With Me’ by Manufactured Superstars, Trent Contrelle and Jeziel Quintela is a classic tune remade. I put it on the album because I loved  it then and now!

If there could be one person you would want to either spin or collaborate with, whom would it be and why? What has been your absolute favorite place to spin? And why? Festivals versus the club scene, which do you prefer?

A person I’d love to play with ? I’d love to play with Mark Knight. He’s probably one of the few people who I haven’t played with that I would like to DJ with. Favorite place? There’s a lot …Beta Denver is probably my favorite club to DJ at. I love festivals, they are another thing compared to clubs. I play different music at festivals than I do clubs. So I don’t really have preference over either.

What do you have planned for the rest of the year and into 2012? Any chance we could be seeing you in Indy?

2012 I plan to do a new album and just travel, travel, travel. Expect music from progressive to techno. Expect big things. I’m ready for it all!