Sydney Blu & Shelley Johansson: 6 Influential Truesoul Releases That Shaped Their Artistic Journey

Two cornerstones of the Canadian dance music industry, Sydney Blu and Shelley Johansson have just shared their debut collaboration with Adam Beyer’s Truesoul label exclusively. ‘Getting Closer’ is an inspiring link-up of styles with the pair spending six months refining the EP, which genre hops between house, techno and progressive.

Both long-time fans of the Drumcode’s younger brother imprint, it was the goal of this collaboration to land on Truesoul. With this in mind, Data Transmission asked them to share their favourite Truesoul releases to get an insight into their musical journeys so far. Read on!

Check out their EP ‘Getting Closer’ out now on Truesoul: https://open.spotify.com/album/31mU5s9dJvIwZaBLadBHbS?si=qObm7ZptT0228OgUAD26ng

Riva Starr presents Hyperloop – Resilience

“I love this song because I still have it in my DJ set since 2017. The first time I heard this track was when Riva Starr played it at The Egg in the UK and then I played It myself at the legendary Output, in Brooklyn New York. It’s a banging mix of house and techno and a classic track as far as I’m concerned.” – Sydney Blu

Adam Beyer – Take Me Away

“Out of all the tracks on Truesoul, this has to be the most influential because it’s the first one I ever heard from the label. It was one of those feel-good tracks I would put on during a late night drive and it has stuck with me ever since. Still love it!” – Shelley Johannson

Pig & Dan – Promised (Raxon Remix)

“The first time I ever heard this track was at Sisyphos in Berlin in 2019 and it’s still in my set. I think this is one of Raxon’s breakout records and it’s perfect for a dark and dirty afterhours. I named this my favourite song of 2019 and I still play it when the time is right.” – Sydney Blue

Hot Since 82 – Veins

“After a gig in San Francisco, I ended up at an after-party. There were a pair of CDJs set up so I jumped on them and played this track. The place went from intimate conversations in the corners, to a full-on dance floor explosion! Doesn’t matter how big or small the room is, this track works every time. It’s now my not-so-secret, secret weapon.” – Shelley Johannson

Oscar L – Random Love

“I played this track a lot in 2022 during my sets. I love the melody and also the hard beat. Oscar has a great way of combining techno with a groove.” – Sydney Blu

Oscar L – Monster Tube

I dropped this track a few summers back at Electric Island here in Toronto and it’s hugely impressive. It has few elements, but each sound is tight, interesting and solid. So now I keep it neatly in a folder on my computer as a sonic reference. – Shelley Johannson