On Hard Knock Radio, host Davey D sat down with Derwin Brown, artist, archivist, sound system builder, and founder of Black American Sound System, for a wide-ranging conversation about history, technology, Black cultural memory, and the Bay Area’s deep relationship to sound. Brown, a former San Francisco State student with a background in music and political science/law, explained that his current work grew out of both personal ancestry and community research.
The conversation centered on Brown’s exhibition, “Soul, Sonics, and Sound Systems,” presented through Black American Sound System at the Oakland Public Library as part of the library’s 75th anniversary. Davey D framed the exhibit within a larger national moment, noting that libraries are increasingly under attack through censorship, defunding, and efforts to erase difficult histories. In that context, Brown’s exhibit becomes more than an arts presentation. It is a public intervention that insists Black sound, Black design, and Black history belong in civic institutions.
Brown traced his inspiration to his own genealogy, describing family roots in Texas and Georgia, where his ancestors built churches, communities, and forms of amplified expression in the aftermath of slavery. From there, he connected that legacy to the DIY spirit of sound system culture. He spoke about learning to build speakers by hand, drawing from Jamaican elders in Oakland, church experience in South Central Los Angeles, and Bay Area car audio culture. For Brown, sound systems are not just technical objects. They are ancestral, political, and communal tools.
A major thread in the interview was Brown’s idea that Black communities have long been engineers and designers, even if that creativity is rarely recognized as such. He linked Oakland’s car culture, old school sound systems, vinyl listening traditions, and neighborhood ingenuity into one larger story. He also discussed how territorialism, race, and economics shape access to sound technology, making his work a form of reclamation.
Throughout the exchange, Davey D and Brown shared stories about building speakers from scratch, trial and error, and the knowledge passed down by elders. By the end, the conversation made clear that Brown’s work is about more than loud music. It is about preserving memory, honoring craftsmanship, and making sure the sound of Black communities is heard, valued, and documented.
Hard Knock Radio is a drive-time Hip-Hop talk show on KPFA (94.1fm @ 4-5 pm Monday-Friday), a community radio station without corporate underwriting, hosted by Davey D and Anita Johnson.
