Even behind the blinding lights and blaring speakers, DJs, producers, and dance music have partnered with non-profit organizations and charities to raise funds, spread awareness or provide help to those who need resources to seek help for their mental health. Below are some dance music artists who have supported initiatives and organizations to improve mental health, prevent suicide, and make therapy more accessible.
Fatboy Slim
Fatboy Slim supports a DJ workshop by funding a collaborative project between Heads On, a charity by Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust,
that aids people with mental health problems. With the help of Specialist Occupational Therapist Natalie Rowlands, who designed the program, Norman Cook AKA Fatboy Slim has completed thirty DJ workshops in Sussex over the past year. In addition to teaching DJing to the students in the program, the Brownley-born DJ/producer has also provided guidance in certain situations.
This program has received a gold award at the Sussex Partnership Trust Positive Practice Awards. “Watching participants, many of whom have faced significant mental health challenges, discover the joy of mixing music and expressing themselves creatively, has been truly inspiring. Music has played a vital role in my own mental health journey, and it’s a privilege to share that healing power with others,” shared Fatboy Slim as per DJ Mag. “I’m thrilled to perform alongside these talented individuals at the Sound Minds event, celebrating their achievements and the transformative impact of music.”
Thirteen students got behind the decks at Rockwater Hove at the Sound Minds event in September this year to showcase their skills. Sound Minds even saw a performance from Fatboy Slim! This program includes people with bipolar, personality, eating disorders, and schizophrenia between the ages of 23 – 58. “”We’ve had people that have been suicidal, in A&E every night for weeks and they’ve come to these workshops and been inspired, they’ve started DJing and bought their own equipment. DJ workshops don’t just teach people to mix music, they help them find their rhythm, their confidence, and their voice,” shared Rowlands.
Steller
Steller has partnered with non-profit organization To Write Love On Her Arms, which helps those struggling with their mental health by providing them with mental health toolkits, online peer support groups, and a lot more. “Music is an escape for many people. When I first started going to shows, I thought, ‘Wow, this is a place I feel fully accepted. Anything happening in my personal life disappears. Everyone is here for one thing. It’s so loving and the energy is high,” Steller said in an interview with EDM.com. “I want to create that with my shows. Having this partnership lets people know we’re there for you. You have support. Anything you need, this community has your back. It’s so special.”
To Write Love On Her Arms helped attendees in need at Steller’s Here & Now tour this year with toolkits, resources, online communities, and local free or low-cost therapies. “We like to show up where we feel most alive. Music is a place where we’re reminded that it’s okay to find things worth singing about. There are things in life worth screaming about. There are things in life worth dancing about. And there are things in life worth sharing with other people. The reason this tour happens and why these festivals happen is that people show up. For a lot of us, music is the place we run towards to make sense of our lives,” the Director of Outreach at To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA), Chad Moses said.
Illenium
Illenium joined forces with NV Concepts and Wicked Halloween Festival in 2018 for a suicide prevention campaign called Awake. This collaborative effort was started to raise funds for the Suicide Prevention Lifeline. As a part of this campaign, the Illinois-born dance music star asked people to post a 15-second video of themselves sharing their “reason for being awake”, what keeps them alive and going and how and why they stay positive on Instagram and tagging Illenium, NV Concepts with the #Awake hashtag.
For every video shared by tagging and using the #Awake hashtag during this campaign, NV Concepts donated $1 to the Suicide Prevention Lifeline. “We all know that life can get tough sometimes,” Illenium wrote on Instagram. “Many of us struggle with anxiety and depression on a daily basis. It’s important to come together and know that you are not alone no matter how hard life can get.”
Turno
A tragedy struck his family when Turno lost his brother Fabio to suicide in 2021. To spread public awareness of the importance of looking after your mental health, DnB DJ Turno collaborated with Myleedan, Too Lippy, Shox, Phizi, and SJ Loq to release the track ‘What’s On Your Mind?’ a year after his brother’s death. All the proceeds from this track were donated to the mental health charity MIND and he pledged to do mental health training with Samsons Academy Charity – a gym, charity, and sports school based in Bedford, UK.
“The track I’m about to share is not only a dedication, but is probably my proudest work to date,” he said at the time. “I sincerely hope that this project is something that can connect with as many of you as possible in order to raise awareness for the ongoing issues in mental health worldwide!”
Levity
Levity has revealed that some of the proceeds from their ongoing Lasership tour will be going to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. “Our next Charity show will be in Boulder, CO on November 20th & we’ll be donating all profits (including merch at the show) to @end.overdose for harm reduction & @consciousalliance for hunger relief & youth empowerment ?? keeping our community safe has always been a priority for us, and we’re so excited we can come together over music for a good cause again,” the Chicago-based electronic music trio announced on Instagram in June this year.
This dance music group, comprising PJ Carberry, Josh Tarum, and John Hauldren, also teamed up with END OVERDOSE, which offers overdose response training and spreads awareness about preventing drug-related overdose deaths.
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