Meet the Lagos Youth Inspiring Social Change Through EDM

On a rainy Saturday night at the end of July, a handful of young Nigerians gather outside of a film studio. Some can be seen standing in small groups talking, while others linger around their cars, getting ready for the festivities. It is Sweat It Out night, arguably Lagos’ biggest electronic dance music event, and there is, as always, palpable excitement.

The large compound where the studio is located houses two imposing warehouses. Inside one of those buildings the Sweat It Out team has embraced a jungle theme for the night. Flashing lights dance in between the long, fake grass that dangles from the high walls of the building. Soon enough, the hundreds of partygoers standing outside begin to trickle into different pockets of the warehouse. Their bodies, like the flashing lights, gear up to remain in constant motion for the long duration of the night.