On Saturday, 20th October, music lovers and beer lovers in Abuja experienced
BUDx, an electronic music lab which brings artists, producers, DJs and fans together
in one awesome brand experience. The venue, Harrow Park, was turned into a
music venue that could have been well placed in Europe, not just because of the
vibe or the cool young fans, excited to hear from some of the best producers within
the space – but because the event was able to bring a uniqueness and authenticity
not seen before.
The event, which served as a stage to underground DJs/ producers, hosted panel
discussions and talks and offered insightful masterclasses by established artists for
budding talent, was held across two spaces: The Main Room and Break Out Room.
The passage leading to these rooms served as the hangout zone, complete with a
Budweiser bar to refresh the revelers and a coloring wall titled ‘This House is Not for
Sale’. Another smaller room provided a cool feel and engagement elements such as
the panoramic style televisions and illusion walls.
The BUDx store located next to the main room was stocked with limited edition T-
shirts designed by Tomi Thomas in collaboration with uber trendy street wear outlet,
Garm Spot.
Themed, Electronic Africa: “This House is Not for Sale”, driven by the passion and
the spirit of music. The event kicked off with a masterclass titled ‘House Music
defined’ by Christian Rich, the American-born Nigerian Grammy –nominated
production and DJ duo consisting of twins Taiwo and Kehinde Hassan who have
produced for everyone from Drake to Childish Gambino. The duo brought their
knowledge of the history of house music from the underground clubs of Chicago to
its evolution to Berlin – sharing their knowledge of this genre of music.
Next up was the workshop titled ‘House Music Production 101’ by hit making
producer, Sarz, who has produced for everyone including Wizkid to Wande Coal and
Reminisce. At the music workshop, Sarz took the audience through his personal
production process where he also shared some unreleased beats.
Another insightful discussion at BUDx was the panel titled ‘Understanding the Market
and How to Monetize’ with Sarz, Ikon, DJ TTB and Sensei Lo. In a country where the
music scene is growing, a lot can be learned from the successes of challenges of its
trailblazers.
Budweiser Brand Manager, Franscoe Bouwer, stated “BUDx is an electronic music
lab, the first of its kind, which showcases emerging talent from the region as well as
introducing a series of panels, masterclasses, seminars and interactive installations
which gets behind the scene in emerging markets around the globe.”
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Bouwer adds “Budweiser is the King of Beers that inspires socialization and fun.”
The final master class of the day titled ‘Future of Africa House Music’ was taken by
Ikon, a visionary music producer and rapper who has delivered a blueprint for
creating Nigerian music.
Following the great learning experiences, guests stayed back for a super epic after
party where they witnessed engaging sets – think underground room style with a
lineup of some of the hottest DJs such as Aye, Sensei Lo, DJ Crown, DJ Aldeen The
Sygerian, DJ Smooth and performances from Tomi Thomas and Pretty Boy D-O.
If BUDx aimed to provide a space for Nigeria’s growing electronic music scene to
engage with each other in a relaxed setting, free-flowing Buds, Grills and an
awesome party – it did just that!
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