Music and mental health social enterprise Headstock has launched The Drop – powered by Alpha Theta.

The Drop is  a monthly event series created to raise funds for a number of charities that exist to support the mental health of people working within the music industry. 

The event series, which launches with support from The Warehouse Project, will also celebrate the positive impact that music, connection & shared experience can have on our mental & emotional wellbeing. 

Manchester’s globally renowned house music iconDJ Paulette headlines Thursday 15^th May (during Mental Health Awareness Week 2025).  Winner of DJ Mag’s prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award 2022, Paulette is without question one of house music’s true and most respected pioneers.

Thursday June 26th sees internationalDJ/Producer, Turno – one of the undeniable frontrunners in the D&B scene take to The Drop’s decks at Ambers. The Bedford-born DJ is renowned for his high-energy tracks that have captivated audiences worldwide, and he will be bringing his intense and infectious sound to Manchester – the city he now calls home. 

Turno’s involvement in The Drop is particularly poignant as his brother, Fabio, tragically took his own life back in 2021. This devasting event led him to produce ‘What’s on Your Mind?’ – a track released on World Mental Health Day 2022 in aid of mental health charity, Mind. 

AN EVENING RAVE EXPERIENCE

The Drop is an evening rave experience, with events typically taking place monthly on a Thursday, from 18:30-23:00. 

Proceeds from the event series will go to support a number of music mental health charities, with the headline artist each month selecting which cause they’d like to support. Charity beneficiaries for The Drop include: BAPAM (British Association for Performing Arts Medicine), Music Minds Matter; Music Support; Nordoff & Robbins; Shout (‘MUSIC’ 85258); and Tonic Music.

Commenting on his involvement, Turno said: “I started ‘What’s On Your Mind?’ because of the tragic loss of my brother “Fabio” to suicide, due to mental health related illnesses.  I wanted to turn that pain into prosper – and use my platform to raise awareness that’s it’s OK not to be OK and how to combat these feelings of darkness. 

“It’s been amazing to see the people we’ve reached over the past three years and the breakthroughs we have had. That’s why we are super excited to team up with The Drop on this event to reach even more people with mental health awareness in the music industry.”

In addition to raising funds to support the mental health of people working within the music industry, The Drop also aims to highlight electronic music’s ability to stimulate feelings of joy and connection through shared experiences.

DJ Paulette continued: “It’s great to be collaborating with Headstock for The Drop series: supporting this cause is essential all year round and especially during Mental Health Awareness Week.

‘Taking care of ourselves, our mental health and looking out for our family, friends and colleagues are the strongest foundation stones for building strong communities. Music and dancing is a simple but beautiful way to bring people together, to connect, to unify and to entertain whilst moving our bodies, lifting our spirits and freeing our minds. It’s all about the wins here. See you on the dance floor.”

The focus on connection in particular is one of the pivotal reason Amber’s was selected as the perfect venue for the events. Operating a well-documented no-phones policy, the club places an emphasis on the music, sound and the vibe – and their goal of creating euphoric experiences on the dancefloor aligns closely with the objectives The Drop has set out to achieve. 

And with the events wrapping up by 23:00, partygoers will have the chance to continue their night elsewhere – or head home for a relatively early night!

Commenting on the event series, a spokesperson from The Warehouse Project said: “The Warehouse Project team are happy to be supporting Headstock’s events and their work to create more discussion around mental health and support people across the industry.”

Founder of Headstock, Atheer Al-Salim said: “At Headstock, we believe passionately in the power of music & shared experience to positively impact our mental & emotional wellbeing. The Drop is an embodiment of this belief.”

For those unable to attend, the headline sets will be filmed and available to watch post event on Headstock’s YouTube.

Early bird tickets for all three events are on sale now for as little as £7 (£5 for students & Blue Light Members). Tickets are available via Skiddle here.