Interview with Alex Cecil

In the heart of Amsterdam Dance Event, we caught up with Alex Cecil, an artist carving out a unique identity through his seamless blend of indie house textures and modern electronic production. His sound—warm, melodic, and subtly experimental—stands out in sets overflowing with high-octane energy, offering a refreshing, emotive twist on the dance-floor experience.

As the city buzzed with showcases and creative collaborations, Alex spoke about his second time at ADE, the beginning of his record label 'Superfine', and his musical influences.

Welcome, Alex. How are you doing today?

"I'm doing well. Did an event last night. It was a great success, so I'm in happy spirits... I actually forgot how busy it was. This is my second year here. I spent a lot of time in Amsterdam. Now I remember the first three days here... the whirlwind. Running from place to place but it's super exciting and I mean, I love it so much. Yeah, it's a great week. Especially coming from Miami, where there's Miami Music Conference... that would be like the closest comparison I have. Not to hate on my own city, but it's really quite a different experience here."

In what way would you say it's different?

"I think for one, the city, the government, and the residents live here usually. They support it and there's not as much friction. Also, people are a little more well behaved. Miami also overlaps with the Spring Break for all the universities. So you have tons of people, tons of kids coming down to Miami and just being crazy."

Your sound is described as genre-fluid, sitting at the intersection of indie-dance, house and techno. How do you personally define the “Alex Cecil” signature sound?

"I love Indie Dance because it has a very wide definition to begin with. You can couple a lot of things under that umbrella. It can be slow, fast, happy, sad... it's very nostalgic. It definitely overlaps with house and techno. It can be dark but uplifting. Definitely some retro sounds. And most importantly for me is, I'm always telling a story, whether that is a one hour shorter story or three hours journey. But I always do my best to have a start, a middle, and an end."

What were your inspirations when it came to your musical journey? Had there been any artists that influenced you?

"Well, to begin with growing up in New York City, my dad owned a club and at that point, I was a teenager and I could go into all the clubs except for his because if I got in clubs, it'd be like, your father will let you in. Right? So I grew up around a lot of music. In terms of the storytelling, I definitely think that has a fair amount of influence from classical music, being an orchestra. A lot of pieces are definitely stories. And I think that almost like cinematic, sometimes epic journey is definitely coming from there."

You played at the Sounds of Khemit showcase event yesterday, with a great lineup. Playing at ADE is a big moment — what does that mean for you right now in your career?

"A lot! It was great. And it was also introducing my new label Superfine records. The first release is in November. So this was the first event. The first anything really besides like a few social media posts. But it was great. It was a really well thought out programme. It was at really great place, at Speakeasy near the centre, that combined with the high winds and iffy weather, added to the warmth of it. A lot of like heavy textures inside, really great lighting and I wish we could have gone all night... we easily could have."

Could you tell us a bit more about your label 'Superfine', and any upcoming releases?

"Yes, so the first release is from Marc DePulse and SNYL, and a remix from Shubostar. So incredibly excited to have such a strong release from a small, unknown independent label. Marc is definitely what I look up to and he's great to work with. It's been a really good experience. A lot of learning starting a label, I thought it would be a little easier maybe."

Given the international crowd and diverse tastes at ADE, how much do you adapt your set vs keep it rooted in what you know works for you?

"So I had prepared music for my set last night in general, an outline. And then Wednesday night, two nights ago, I was out. I don't even know who DJing that night, and I was like, huh. And I went home and completely started from scratch, like work all night, putting a different spin on the music I was going to play. It was definitely inspired from hearing great music here, and really creative and unique. And so it pushed me to push my boundaries."

While being in Amsterdam for ADE, have you discovered any new artists, labels or sounds that are influencing how you think about your next moves?

"Well, there's still two days left. Some of the influences, they're less specific and more overall like creative influence and thinking about things differently and pushing to try new things and also reaching back to a lot of older songs and influences from the past, for sure... 90s, rave music."

As someone who started in classical music and moved into the club world, what advice would you give emerging producers/DJs who are working across genres or backgrounds?

"Definitely hold on to what makes you unique. When I was young and playing the cello, it was not like a cool thing by any means. I was like four and a half feet tall walking around with it a big cello case, bigger than me. It was not the cool thing to do. And now it's like super cool. Did not expect that one. But, those things that have shaped you are definitely what makes you unique and what people see in you. So I would say, don't hold back on that, lean into it."