The Great Bass Robbery: The Theft of a Beloved Denver Sound System and the Quest for its Return

by Miguel Otárola

On the last day of May, a crowd huddled in the basement of a strip mall on Denver’s west side. In front of them was the Dem Deya Sound System, arrayed against the back wall of the basement’s innermost room and split by a flickering DJ console. The speakers were quiet as the clock neared midnight. 

Still, the sound system drew the buzzed and buzzy in from other rooms. Was it the four waist-high subs (“scoops”), each weighing more than 100 pounds, their cabinets painted candy red? Was it the short stack of televisions on top of them, churning static from cassette tapes? Or was it just anticipation?

For the Mile High City’s underground, the Dem Deya Sound System has become symbolic of an ecstatic return that spans techno, house, drum ‘n’ bass, hardcore, dubstep and bass music at large. Its owner and co-creator, 29-year-old Darrien Williamson, has dedicated the last six years to building it and the city’s knowledge of a sound system culture that crosses generations. He has hauled his red, g…