Skip to main content

No Sleep: Nigerian DJ crushes world record for round-the-clock DJ set

Nigerian DJ Obi attempts to break world record with 10 day set BBC News
Late last month, a Nigerian DJ locked himself in the booth at a cafe in Lagos, aiming to beat one heck of a world record.

For 10 days (239 total hours), DJ Obi, a hip-hop lover who works for Nigerian rap imprint Syndik8 Records, played music without sleep, breaking the record for longest non-stop DJ set. Obi’s time bested the 2014 record of 200 hours, set in Dublin, Ireland by a Polish DJ named Norbert Selmaj.

In order to qualify for the Guinness World Record, the Nigerian DJ had to have someone dancing at all times, and he wasn’t allowed to play the same song twice within four hours of it hitting listeners’ ears. He did get some respite, in the form of a five-minute break every hour, and Obi also was allowed to receive medical attention, massages, and vitamins daily.

According to an interview with BBC News, Obi claims he began hallucinating after four or five days without rest, battling sleep deprivation with two-second naps while standing up. The Nigerian DJ says that it was thoughts of his deceased father that kept him going.

In the end, Obi’s quest was widely supported by the community in Lagos, and it was their help that drove the DJ to finish so far in front of the previous record.

“People came to support,” says the DJ in a short video interview, “Schools came by with their students, and mind you, this is in Nigeria, where people think partying is irresponsible.”

It’s hard to imagine that anyone will approach DJ Obi’s record anytime soon, given that the record for no sleep (without DJing) is 264.4 hours, or 11 days and 24 minutes. And going that long without sleep is risky business; A Chinese man who attempted to watch every game during 2012’s Euro cup passed away after 11 days without sleep.

At least in Obi’s case, he lives to spin another day.

Editors' Recommendations

Parker Hall
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Parker Hall is a writer and musician from Portland, OR. He is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin…
Best Cyber Monday Deals 2022: Laptops, TVs, AirPods, and more
Best Cyber Monday Deals 2022

Cyber Week is here! With some truly epic deals out there, this is the best time of year to buy a new tech gadget. If you slept through the Black Friday sales, then the Cyber Monday sales, you better grab what you need during this week of slowly diminishing deals. From tablets to air fryers, laptops to smartwatches, we've rounded up the best Cyber Monday deals across a range of categories, and you'll find them all below.
Cyber Monday sales: Quick links

Amazon: Huge discounts on laptops, Echo devices, and tablets
Best Buy: Your destination for sales on super-sized TVs
Dell: Unbeatable discounts on gaming laptops, monitors, and more
Gamestop: Cheap video games, console accessories and monitors
HP: Gaming PCs, laptops, monitors, and printers from $129
Kohl's: Home decor, clothing and kitchen appliance steals
Lowe’s: Up to 60% off appliances like refrigerators and decor
Staples: Save big on laptops, home office hardware and supplies
Target: Tons of cheap kitchen appliances and stocking-fillers
Walmart: Great for laptops, and is restocking PS5 and Xbox Series X

Read more
What is hi-res audio, and how can you experience it right now?
Dlyan Wireless Headphones

High-resolution audio, hi-res audio, or even HD audio -- whatever you decide to call it (for the record, the industry prefers "hi-res audio"), it's a catch-all term that describes digital audio that goes above and beyond the level of sound quality you can expect from a garden-variety MP3 file and even CDs. It was once strictly the domain of audiophiles, but now that major streaming music services like Apple Music, Amazon Music, Tidal, Deezer, and Qobuz have embraced it, almost everyone can take advantage of what hi-res has to offer.

But what exactly is hi-res audio? What equipment do you need to listen to it? Where can you download or stream it? And does it actually sound better? We've got the answers.
What does the term 'hi-res audio' mean?

Read more
How to download music from Spotify for offline listening
How to download music and podcasts from Spotify: The downloads folder.

If you're a Spotify Premium user paying that premium Spotify fee, chances are you've taken at least some time curating playlists, liking songs, and using the platform's easy-to-use (and recently revamped) user interface to discover new and old music.

But sometimes all that music or your favorite podcasts aren't available if you find yourself without an internet connection to stream them from — like on a long plane ride or weekend camping trip in the sticks. That's where Spotify's offline listening feature comes in handy, allowing you to download playlists, albums, and podcasts through its desktop and mobile apps so you can still rock out while you're off the grid.

Read more