eott are a mental health driven music community, with their sole aim being to improve the lives of those around them through the power of music. Crafted in October 2019, in the heart of Brighton, they set out with a goal to normalise the stigmas surrounding mental health by curating familiar and relatable concepts, designed to inform, inspire or invite people in to break down barriers, and engage in meaningful conversations. But what makes eott so much more profound is that it is never financially incentivized. Each project is created with one thing in mind, and that is to improve the mental and social state of others.
Their first and foremost campaign is their ‘u, k, g?’ initiative. The campaign is a play on words of the famous garage genre that the UK has become renowned for, whilst also acting as a homage to the scene that the collective derives from. But whilst the initiative may be a creative nod to the underground genre, it is also a reminder of how important it is to check in with your pals to see how they’re doing. ‘u, k, g?’ is the slogan of the campaign, whilst also appearing on the merch and clothing drops. The cause is a win-win for both the buyer and the guys over at eott. The buyer gets to wear a quality garm with a visual reminder to check in on your mates, whereas it also allows the eott crew to create better living situations for others.
With eott being a collective set up by creatives, the first two merch drops saw the income donated to Music4Minds, a DJ/Production workshop for underprivileged teenagers. Music4Minds works predominantly with youths coming from backgrounds of hardship relating to drugs and gang involvement. Because often the best escape from deprivation is to distract your mind by being creative. The initiative gives those who attend the chance to briefly forget about what is happening in the outside world, and simply enjoy themselves. Music4Minds is run by Kennie (Junior Buzz) who selflessly puts on monthly workshops, however, Kennie would often have to call in favours from friends asking them to borrow equipment that would occasionally put a strain on the initiative. So with the merch money, eott were able to provide Music4Minds with the funding for their own equipment, meaning they were able to get together and simply have a good time, with good vibes, and fully immerse themselves in the creativity.
The third drop was a collaboration with AudioActive, an initiative that saw the eott merch funding go towards a safe space that encourages people to engage in constructive conversations. The initiative called ‘Room to Rant’ is a musical workshop where men go in to discuss whatever it is that may be troubling them. However, because this can often be a difficult way of getting men to open up due to fear of judgement from others, the funding provided a comfortable area where they can get together and rant about their concerns in the form of rap and spoken word. Now that is pretty fucking sick.
What’s more, it’s often overlooked that a key cause of mental health concerns can stem from where the next meal is coming from, or having to skip meals just to ensure your kids have something to eat in the evening. This issue was addressed in their fourth drop as the guys wanted to provide support to local underprivileged areas, so dispersed the income from the drop to foodbanks. eott provided seven foodbanks with much needed supplies during the peak of the pandemic, helping those that needed it most. This ranged from the over 65s who were at risk any time they stepped outside their homes, to refugees who struggle enough as it is (fuck you Priti Patel), and children centres. In addition to this, being Brighton-based, one thing we boast so well is our inclusivity and the support of the LGBTQ+ community. eott acknowledged this, and with their fifth drop addressed the need to support the Pride community.
eott engaged in regular communications with the people at MindOut, a mental health service run by and for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer people, concluding that the most resourceful way to use the income from the drops would be to fund counselling sessions. Through this, they were able to supply the community with 25 1-on-1 counselling sessions. What a way to support your home community!
Meanwhile, the success of eott has seen some pretty sick collaborations with other initiatives. They have worked with the likes of Krudd, teaming up to raise money for the NHS, raising an astonishing £1,199! (god bless the NHS), and Beastwang for a Keep Hush party last March (pre-covid), with all ticket proceeds going to MusicMindsMattter, raising a further £568. However, their latest collab is an ode to how far these guys have come. When they first touted around the idea of starting eott, they dreamed that when they work with Keep Hush, another initiative improving the lives of others, they would call it Don’t Keep Hush, and here they are doing it. The apparel dropped last Friday, so I’d suggest you get on it quick, because not only is it the finest drip you can acquire, but all the proceeds are going to Help Musicians charity.
These guys are doing a fucking awesome job, and their mission is so, so important. The importance carries not just to the public, but musicians have also acknowledged that music has an incredible ability to help those that need it most, and as such, artists such as Slowthai, Mahalia, and Loyle Carner to name but a few have all donned the u, k, g? gear. The musical community is so, so special. And so are eott.
