CYBERSEX On Building a Dancefloor That Feels Like Home
- Mar 26
- 6 min read
Fast Music, Soft People – CYBERSEX is pushing the tempo and holding the room.
For Stef de Haan and Nick Edwards, CYBERSEX is where things get pushed further. Faster tempos, looser structures, and a shared curiosity for what happens when familiar sounds start to slip.
Since forming in 2018, the Amsterdam-based duo have been carving out a space that resists easy definition—pulling from house, dub, and techno, but never settling into any of them.
Beyond the booth, their party De Reünie reflects the other side of that energy: a platform built on connection, care, and community, where experimentation meets intention.
We spoke to them about pushing sound, holding space, and everything that happens in between.
You describe CYBERSEX as a search for the “purest form of groove & rhythm.” What does pure actually feel like to you in a club setting?
We would describe it as the feeling of being surrounded by people, but at the same time feeling completely alone in the club.
You let go of all your thoughts in that moment and fully immerse yourself through consistent rhythms. Your mind shifts into a kind of resting state, where you can just move and dance freely. It’s actually a very deep form of relaxation.
There’s something slightly disorienting about your sound—familiar elements, but pushed just past recognition. What draws you to that edge?
We enjoy creating a subtle balance between elements that people recognize or that feel familiar, but presenting them in a way that feels strange or unknown. It’s a very interesting space to play in. We like diving deep into the underground side of house, while also giving the classics their flowers.
Why was it important to create Cybersex as a separate alias rather than folding this into your existing work? What does it allow you to do differently?
Because Cybersex has a very specific sound that we want to push. We want to highlight and give attention to all the subgenres within house, and really focus on that completely. We didn’t want it to be distracted or diluted by our other projects.
It’s about what works in the moment, not what box it fits into
When you’re building a set, do you think in terms of narrative, energy, or purely instinct?
We don’t really think about it in those terms. We might have a basic structure of what we want to bring, but once we’re in the moment it’s always a surprise. You really have to tailor everything to what’s happening in the room.
Your music pulls from dub, house, and techno, but resists sitting comfortably in any of them. Do genres still matter to you, or are they just starting points?
Genres are more like starting points for us. They give direction, but we don’t feel the need to stay within those boundaries. We’re more interested in the feeling and the groove behind a track than in labeling it. It’s about what works in the moment, not what box it fits into.
It’s about building an environment where people can be themselves
De Reünie is built around ideas of safety, intimacy, and community. What did you feel was missing in nightlife that made you want to create it?
When we started De Reünie in 2020, there was a clear need—and honestly a strong desire—for safer spaces where people could truly connect and express themselves freely. A lot of nightlife at the time felt quite superficial or distant, and we were missing environments where people could feel genuinely comfortable and seen.
De Reünie began on a very small scale, in the depths of Amsterdam—through unknown locations, Telegram groups, and word of mouth. It felt raw, intimate, and very community-driven from the start. Over time, it naturally grew into more club-oriented events, but we’ve always been intentional about holding onto that original core: creating a space where people feel safe, connected, and part of something real. For us, it’s never just been about throwing parties—it’s about building an environment where people can be themselves, feel at ease, and connect with each other on a deeper level.
A family that accepts them 100% as they are—where there’s no need to pretend or to be anything other than yourself.
“Family vibes” gets used a lot—what does that actually look like for you in practice?
For us, it goes deeper than just people being friendly in a space. You don’t get to choose the family you’re born into, and unfortunately not everyone feels fully accepted or understood by that family. What we want to offer is a space where people can choose their own family. A family that accepts them 100% as they are—where there’s no need to pretend or to be anything other than yourself.
A space where your identity, your sexuality, and your perspective on life are not just tolerated, but genuinely respected and valued.
In practice, that means creating an environment where people look out for one another and feel a shared responsibility for the energy in the room. It comes from seeing familiar faces, building trust over time, and growing something together. That’s the feeling we want to bring to our gatherings—because that, to us, is what real safety actually feels like.
We want to offer a space where people can choose their own family
How do you work with creating a safe, inclusive space while still keeping a sense of spontaneity and freedom?
Everyone is welcome at our events, but we always have an awareness team present. We give people the opportunity to enter and be part of the space, but if anyone shows any form of discrimination, they are removed.
Our team also keeps an eye on more subtle behavior, like unwanted touching, to make sure everyone feels safe.
Has the energy of De Reünie changed as it’s grown, or have you been intentional about keeping it small-feeling?
We started during the early COVID period with a group of around 20–30 people. Every illegal event we organized kept growing. At the time, everyone had to be screened first, and people were added to different WhatsApp groups where we shared information. We even had access to an anti-squat space that we transformed into a club during the weekends.
After COVID, clubs approached us to scale things up legally. We still intentionally organize smaller events as well, sometimes for around 300 people, often in Amsterdam, and they can still feel like they did back in the day.
You’re bringing De Reünie to Berlin soon—what does it mean to translate something so rooted in Amsterdam into a different city?
We want to bring our core values to Berlin and show the energy and love we have in Amsterdam, including our awareness team. We feel that Berlin and Amsterdam are closely connected, so it feels like a natural step for us.
Do you approach a Berlin crowd differently, or do you expect the same energy to carry across?
We think the energy will be very similar to Amsterdam, because we know what the Berlin angels are like and we share many mutual friends.
What we also like about the Berlin crowd is that they are very critical, which challenges us to think carefully about the lineup, the vibe, and what we bring from Amsterdam to Berlin.
What can people expect from this edition that might feel new to us in Berlin?
We want to see the most beautiful human beings at Club Aeden. What might feel new for Berlin… you’ll have to be there to experience it ;)
It feels like a moment of relief and joy – we have been working towards it for months
What does an ideal night look like for you, from start to finish?
That’s hard to define, but ideally the vibe is happy and uplifting from beginning to end. Hospitality is perfect, and communication is on point. The crowd makes the party, of course.
So if we have the right team, the right crowd, the right venue, and the right DJs, that’s what an ideal night looks like for us.
How do CYBERSEX and De Reünie influence each other? Does one feed into the other creatively?
We are always inspired by the crowd and by new DJs. We try to give artists a platform to experiment with new sounds, and that creative exchange feeds into both projects.
Ginger, cigarette smoke, citrus peel, amber, pepper - is the scent of De Reünie
When everything clicks in a set or a party, what does that moment feel like to you?
It feels like a moment of relief and joy, especially because we have been working towards it for months.
What keeps you curious right now—what are you still trying to figure out?
We are always experimenting within genres and trying to discover new forms, for example within house music. We are also exploring the fine line between techno and house.
With De Reünie, we aim to support both emerging and more experienced artists, and we also try to expand beyond just DJs by adding other elements to the program.
If it was a scent (or smell), what would De Reünie smell like?
Ginger, cigarette smoke, citrus peel, amber, pepper.
