7 Dance Music Artists Using their Platform for Philanthropy

Fuelled by support and encouragement from friends, family, and a sense of altruism, many dance artists contribute their time and energy toward philanthropic endeavors. Whether through volunteer work, scholarships, educational programming, or advocating for important issues like suicide prevention and mental health, many of your favorite artists are championing efforts for good across their communities and abroad.

Here are ten artists lending their efforts and wallets to noble causes when they’re not in the studio producing music or commandeering the decks at the club.

1. Ida Engberg and Adam Beyer

Ida Engberg & Adam Beyer

Techno, a genre notorious for its hedonistic sounds and stoic noir-clad DJs, isn’t often associated with philanthropy. However, one techno heavyweight who isn’t showy about her philanthropic work is setting out to make this world better with her partner. Since 2019, Swedish DJ Ida Engberg, along with her husband, Drumcode founder Adam Beyer, has headed Drumcode Festival in its efforts to raise money for an environmental cause close to their hearts. The event doubled as a joint Greenpeace project, with funds raised at the festival going directly to Amazon Watch—a nonprofit whose work supports indigenous Amazonians and the rainforest they call home.

2. Avicii

Though he is physically gone, Tim Bergling, aka Avicii’s legacy, lives on through the Tim Bergling Foundation and its charity work. Since his early days of notoriety, Tim’s altruistic nature led him to raise funds for food security in cities across the US. After his sudden death, his family vowed to continue the artist’s philanthropic work by launching the aptly named foundation, which continues to advocate for mental health awareness and suicide prevention and, most recently, raising awareness to the climate crisis and other environmental issues.

3. LP Giobbi & Lauren Spalding

LP Giobbi & Lauren Spalding

The Femme House founder has made it her life’s mission to make the world of electronic dance music a more equitable place for women and LGBTQ+ artists to grow and thrive in. LP Giobbi and Lauren Spalding founded the Femme House nonprofit organization in 2019, vowing to “create safe spaces to learn, and always keep marginalized communities first and foremost in our minds,” she explained in an Instagram post announcing new programming aimed at creating new pathways for LGBTQIA+ artists. Through the new Theresa Velasquez Memorial Scholarship honoring DJ and Live Nation executive Theresa Velasquez, LP Giobbi will donate a portion of her booking fee for every LGBTQIA+ centered event she plays.

4. Shimza

Shimza at his One Man Show

South African DJ-producer Shimza’s penchant for philanthropy began at an early age. Today, the award-winning Tembisa-born artist has turned his large-scale philanthropic fundraising event into an annual event. Shimza’s One Man Show is an immense outdoor party in the DJ’s hometown in South Africa and often features the latest and greatest names in dance music. Proceeds from the charitable showcase benefit the town’s underprivileged children and drive job creation.

5. Alok

Gabriel Wickbold

Brazilian dance music artist Alok is one artist looking to give back tremendously. The producer recently founded the Instituto Alok to combat poverty and other issues in his home country, Africa and India. Alok initially kicked off the initiative with a whopping $5.2 million donation from his wallet. Since its founding in 2020, the foundation has focused on food security, entrepreneurship, and human development.

6. DJ Bone & Ahnne Dulan

World-renowned Detroit artist DJ Bone officially began his philanthropic project in the early 2000s with support and encouragement from his wife, Ahnne Dulan. Together, they run the Homeless Homie charity organization, raising money for local homeless shelters. After years of charitable work, the nonprofit finally caught traction in 2018, as the philanthropic pair raised funds and collected toiletries for local shelters during the Christmas season. In years since, the Homeless Homies initiative has developed into a large-scale music event in Detroit and several other cities, with their biggest iterations happening at ADE (Amsterdam Dance Event) in 2019 and 2021.

7. Porter Robinson

After his younger sibling was diagnosed with a rare iteration of lymphoma, indie-electronic dance artist Porter Robinson founded the Robinson Malawi Fund to raise funds and awareness for the cancer most prominently found in Malawi, Africa. The artist continues to donate proceeds from his Second Sky Festival, now in its third iteration. At the festival’s inaugural event, the dance music producer raised around $150,000. Today, Robinson’s fund continues to raise money for research and directly provides resources for children suffering from the rare form of cancer.