The old saying of great things come in small packages…

…could not be more true than for powerhouse DJ Suzy Solar. The Florida based DJ comes with big personality and amazing beats as she slays dance floor after dance floor. But as many know her for what she does behind the decks, what she does for trance and the music world is equally if not more impressive. Making her name known and creating a little peace of trace heaven for her area, Suzy continues to set new heights each year.

Thank you for taking the time to talk with me today. You are gearing up for a big show for your Solar Power Music presents on November 4th, in Orlando, Lost in Trancelation, with headliner Sean Tyas. What can fans expect from this event? Your events Lost in Trancelation has had a lot of growth over the years, what can we expect going forward?

Thanks for having me. We’ve just gotten Lost in Trancelation (LiT) going again since February 2020 and we’re excited to have Sean Tyas back to kick off our reboot! LiT is a safe, friendly social gathering for fans of psy, tech and uplifting trance. We aim to bring the old school underground vibes to a private party type of atmosphere. You can expect a magical night that is all about trance, with the most amazing people and vibes at our parties!

We’ve indeed seen lots of growth for LiT, which my friend Robb Blak started back in 2010. In 2015, my partner at Solar Power Music, Brian Benning and I joined LiT. Our goal was to put Orlando on the map for trance. We transformed LiT from a local’s night into a ‘big trance DJ in an intimate club’ theme with international headliners. Some of the names that Brian and I booked includes John 00 Fleming, Alex M.O.R.P.H., Roger Shah, Mark Sherry, The Thrillseekers, Kyau & Albert, Neptune Project, Cold Blue, Photographer and many more. Going forward, we’ve decided to keep it small and intimate. This will give you an up-close personal experience with the DJs and the club won’t be overcrowded. You will need to RSVP at tix4lit@gmail.com to get on the will call list. The Tyas event will require a $33 donation for entry, and it’s held at Bikkuri Lounge, Orlando, where trance fans have called their home for trance.

You are a very busy woman, wearing many hats in the scene from A&R, DJ, promoter, etc. Can you tell us all that you do, what is your favorite, and why?

I DJ trance, psytrance, progressive house, melodic techno and peak time techno. I also sing, do voice acting, narration, write, produce, throw events and I do A&R work for We Are Trance and Redux Recordings. I’m also a former television producer and host. I love doing it all, but if I had to pick one as my favorite, I’d say it’s DJing. As a very young child, I dreamed of growing up to be a DJ so I’m extremely thankful that I can live out this dream. I also dreamed of growing up to be Darth Vader, so… at least I have the DJ dream ha-ha.

You hailed from Tampa, but mainly rock the Orlando scene. How would you compare the Orlando scene to the general trance population? What is something you love about the Orlando scene? And what is something you would change?

I was born in Miami and currently live in the Tampa area. However, I host our events in Orlando, which is a two-hour drive away. Orlando was one of the first cities to have a rave scene in the USA back in the early 90’s so it’s always been a vibrant place for electronic music. It also has Disney and all the theme parks, so it is known as a place where people go to have fun. Since it is in the middle of the state, people from all over Florida can travel there easily. I don’t think there is anything I would change about it.

You recently made a post regarding depression and stress, and you really opened up personally and talked about trance being your sanctuary. If you can in your own words, what made you decide to open up now? How has the reception been from your post? If you could add anything to that post, what would it be?

I’m a private person so I normally don’t like to talk about my personal life on social media. Recently though, I had a nightmare (from PTSD) that was bad enough to inspire me to post about the severe racism, sexism and bullying I had to deal with growing up, while being autistic and having an abusive paranoid schizophrenic mother. I suffered in silence for a long time. When I posted about that, to my surprise, I got lots of wonderful support from friends and fans. Some people even DM’d me to say that they’re going through rough times and that my post has inspired them. It was heartwarming to be able to help people and to answer questions about how I beat depression. Our LiT events turned out to be the best therapy I could ask for. I’m extremely grateful to have found Trance Family and to be able to fit in somewhere that accepts everyone with open arms. I still suffer from PTSD and social anxiety, so it’s been a long, difficult healing process to open up and trust people again, but I’ve come a long way and now I can say that I’m truly happy.

If I could add something to that post, I would let everyone know that you can overcome depression and anything that stands in your way. Immerse yourself in things that you love and find a community of positive people for support. Just the act of taking steps to enjoy life is the key for happiness to take root and to pull your life upwards.

Over recent weeks, there has been an uptake in chatter regarding social media. What are your thoughts to how social media plays on you as an artist, a promoter, and as a female in the trance scene? What would you change if you could?

I try not to pay attention too much attention to social media chatter. I just focus on posting what is going on within my world and try to keep the posts relevant to music. Social media has been a valuable tool for promoting myself as an artist and promoter, but I also think social media has grown too much and it’s over saturated now. If I could change something, it would be better policing for hate speech.

Finally, if you could only live by one motto.

My motto is simply to enjoy every moment. Life is a precious gift that is meant to be cherished and tomorrow is not guaranteed.