Apple Music's latest initiative provides profound insight into how the deaf develop their musical preferences. In developing Apple Music's "A Playlist Curated by Deaf People," the streaming giant engaged deaf curators to discover their favorite songs.
Electronic music producers including Mura Masa, Kaytranada, and The Chainsmokers all made the cut in this wide-ranging playlist. The popularity of record-breaking releases such as the latter's single "Closer"—even among the deaf—lends credence to the age-old adage that music is truly a universal language.
Interestingly, many curators cite the unique vibrations generated from rumbling baselines as a factor in determining which songs they enjoy. Others cite their understanding of a song's lyrics through reading the artist's lips as a determining factor. Still there are others who prefer to dance and are able to assess the danceability of a track based on their ability to feel the sound waves of the song's drums and rhythms as they travel through space.