There’s a new community in town for music nerds and passionate listeners: Disc Club, a space dedicated to bringing people together to discuss their favourite albums and projects. Built around a shared love for music, the community hopes to encourage deeper conversations, thoughtful debate and intentional listening. For Digimillennials, we sat down with Co-founder, Itty Okim to discuss the gap that inspired Disc Club, the evolving place of albums in Nigerian music culture, and what the community hopes to contribute to the wider music landscape.
What gap in Nigeria’s music culture made you feel Disc Club needed to exist?
The idea really came from how my friends and I always talk about our favourite songs and even those we don’t like, especially albums. We could go for hours, just sharing our opinions about music. Sometimes, people have called us weird for it. We have gotten so many “it’s not that serious” comments. But music matters to us so much, and we know for sure that there are so many other music nerds like us across different cities of the world. That’s why we decided to make Disc Club happen.
Was there a defining moment that convinced you people wanted deeper conversations around albums?
The first defining moment was when I shared the idea with my partners. They thought it was fabulous. As the ultimate vibe test, I made a tweet about the idea, and X was really into it. The next day, we made a flyer and put it out there for the first club meeting.
Do you think Nigerian audiences are becoming more patient with music, or are artists simply making albums that demand more attention?
I think the oversaturation of the space has made really good music even harder to find. Good music is very much covered up by attention-grabbing music, thanks to internet culture and our ever-diminishing attention spans.
Do you believe Nigeria is entering an era where albums carry as much cultural weight as hit singles?
I think albums are like landmarks. They leave a mark in time as art pieces. They also define different eras for artistes and are such a powerful tool for branding and promoting an artiste. Yet, it’s the hits on the album that really do the work. So, in as much as albums have their own influence over culture, hit singles off the album still carry the crux of the weight.
Five years from now, what do you hope people say Disc Club contributed to Nigerian music?
We hope that Disc Club is referenced as a true music community space that was created solely for the music, and has remained about the music through the years. Also, the perfect spot for a wholesome Sunday night out for music lovers across different cities of the world.
