Several weeks ago, Wil, a talented fabricator at PK Sound, suggested that we should donate a sound system to the hearing impaired conference. Turns out the Deaf Alberta Expo (DAE) was happening right in our backyard, and a number of people who work with the hearing impaired were interested in a PK sound system for their dance. As some of you bass heads can attest, when you literally need to feel the music to get your dance on, PK's got your back, so naturally we were interested in being part of this tactile sound experience. To learn more about the relationship between the hearing impaired community and dance culture, we invited local hearing impaired DJ Rusty Patterson down to the shop for a quick meeting. Moving from cowboy to techno junky in three short years, Rusty has a unique perspective on the music industry. A respected up-and-coming DJ and budding producer, his mixing style and feel for the music are an inspiration to the hearing impaired and hearing alike. We can't wait to see what the future holds for him.

PK Sound @ Deaf Alberta Expo

[Photo caption:] Rusty Patterson. Photo Kayla Graham.

In addition to the DAE, PK has supported Easter Seals Camp Horizon for most of the summer, and they've been sending us photos of campers dancing and rocking out to one of our systems. We were intrigued to see that the hearing impaired campers were always hugging balloons, which act as a method of collecting and disseminating sound waves, especially for lower frequencies. Awesome.

So, in addition to donating a large PK sound system to the DAE, we made these:PK Sound @ Deaf Alberta Expo

So Expo goers could do this:

PK Sound @ Deaf Alberta Expo

The act of playing, listening to "and sharing music is an emotional venture" . Everyone in our company knows the power of music, and we exercise the right to play it loudly each and every day. We often take listening to music for granted, and forget that not everyone experiences sound culture this way. Helping to facilitate the DAE event has reinforced our belief in the power of feeling music, whether through your ears, through the vibrations in your chest, or through the emotions it evokes in you regardless of sensory experience.

PK Sound @ Deaf Alberta Expo

These pictures from the DAE dance are courtesy of the talented Kayla Graham. Kayla commented that "this event was unique [in that] you would not normally see people our parents age rocking out to house music. All generations were loving it and feeling the vibes. It was amazing to see the smiles on people's faces. Maybe it was even the first time they 'heard' music. Awesome!

We want to thank the Deaf Alberta Expo, all attendees, and our two volunteers, Wil and Carter for broadening our experience and our approach to facilitating sound culture.