FLAUNT - The Generation Issue

PEOPLE
PHONG
DANG
PDK Sounds
WRITTEN AND Q&A WITH MORGAN MCCARTY
PHOTOGRAPHED BY KB ANSARI
Previously, these artists were regarded merely as studio
technicians, yielding the spotlight to nameless singers
and unsung stars. With the innovations in computergenerated
music, these sound sculptors have come to
the forefront as stars in their own right. We can see
them now exhibiting their acoustic genius at runway
shows, red carpet events, and prevailing music festivals
such as Coachella.
DJs like Tiesto, Nervo, Tritonal and Kaskade are able
to utilize synthetic music to not only produce a fresh
sound, but also design an atmosphere.
Emerging DJs are the producers of our future scenes.
DJ Phong Dang, of PDK Sounds, does more than
just scratch a record; his messages and moments of
inspiration, are conveyed to listeners through sound as
a vehicle, and a medium.
Born in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Phong was raised
in Savannah, GA where his father’s music and the
creative scene of the city surrounded him. Following
his passion for the pulse in music, he studies Sound
Design at Savannah College of Art and Design.
Phong has left a melodic footprint on his hometown by
featuring his mixes within local runway events such as,
Savannah Fashion Week, Fashion Night Out, and the
year-end SCAD Fashion Show.
This year, Phong will be featured as the headlining
DJ for the Savannah Fashion Week Fashion show. His
talent is destined for boundless acclaim, however. He
has since been assisting DJs at New York Fashion Week
shows for Altuzarra, J. Mendel, Prabal Gurung, Helmut
Lang, Richard Chai, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Wes Gordon, Patrik
Ervell, Marchesa, and Oscar de la Renta. He has even
crossed borders into Milan Fashion Week working as
an assistant DJ at the Bluemarine show. Phong bares a
unique and humble perspective on the art of sound and
through his mixes provides a musical translation for his
audience, whether metropolitan chic or charmingly
southern.
A Q&A interview with Phong Dang continues on
pg. 50.