The Lagos rave scene has become more than just house music and vibes. Every day, new collaborations and communities are innovating and creating immersive experiences that become a part of your night out in the city. The relationship being built between niche brands and larger corporations is changing the scene, with their audiences at the very center of it.
After an almost three-month hiatus, Sweat It Out, Lagos, one of the biggest and oldest rave communities in the city, came back with a bang! The edition called Zodiac Chronicles, hosted in collaboration with Olmeca Tequila, the alcoholic brand debuting in the rave scene, highlights a shift in just how much larger or corporate brands are interested in the audience and community of the house music scene.
SIO kicked off by 10:00 PM at the NextThought Studios, Lekki. With a lineup of crowd favorites: Codename: KND, Abiodun, A², and Space Shinobi. The highlight of the night was A²’s set; the duo took the dance floor by storm with amazing transitions. They got the crowd dancing till morning.
My favorite part of the Olmeca brand installment was the “shot-tails.” Shot-tails play on the idea of cocktails—mixed drinks but served as shots. Sounds chic and has a nice ring to it. Olmeca Tequila has four distinct flavors: silver, respoda, chocolate, and gold. A very chic way to invite your guests is with free shots on entry into the event and ushering them to the photo booth to capture their moment—top-tier crowd engagement.
Collaborations and partnerships are fast becoming a staple among brands in Lagos nightlife across different products and audiences. SIO has always been intentional about preserving the essence of house music and raves in a climate that’s fast evolving and growing. And Olmeca’s partnership seems to be a perfect fit with the aesthetics and audience that SIO attracts.
Olmeca’s partnership with SIO, like many other partnerships in the Lagos nightlife scene, is what continues to preserve the culture of entertainment and hospitality in the city. The question now is, what’s next for Olmeca? More raves? What’s the next installment going to look like?
