By: Henry Lawson

In an era where experiences increasingly trump possessions, Michael Pottern and Tommy Dill stand at the intersection of wellness, technology, and historic architecture. These Denver natives have built something extraordinary—a convergence of sound, light, and urban heritage that defies easy categorization.

On April 4, 2025, Denver’s iconic Clock Tower will transform into something it’s never been before. Neither concert nor a traditional meditation session, “Time Warp” represents something new in the city’s cultural landscape: an immersive journey through light and sound that uses the building as an instrument.

“I’ve always been obsessed with how space shapes experience,” says Pottern, founder of Denver Zen Den, running his hand along the weathered brick of the Victorian building that houses his wellness studio on Seventh Street in Denver. “This city has these incredible architectural treasures that people only experience in passing. We wanted to change that.”

Pottern doesn’t fit neatly into Denver’s wellness scene. His decade in Chicago real estate, followed by founding the tech platform Find My Zen, gives him a perspective that bridges business pragmatism with genuine spiritual curiosity. When he speaks about transcendental meditation—a practice he’s maintained for ten years—there’s none of the ethereal vagueness you might expect. Instead, he discusses neurological benefits with the excitement and passion of someone who dedicated several years to connecting people to different practices. Things like serving on the board of advisers for the David Lynch Foundation and helping introduce meditation programs to public schools have given insight into making wellness approachable.

The Clock Tower event emerged from what Pottern describes as “happy accidents of architecture and intention.” During a private tour of the historic structure last year, Dill and Pottern were struck by how each floor created its distinct acoustic environment. What might seem like an odd observation to become the seed of an idea for these two emerging wellness explorers to create something special together.

“The Clock Tower is essentially a vertical journey,” Pottern explains. “You ascend through completely different environments, each with its unique opportunity to connect within and with the cosmos. It’s the ideal multimodal weaving that we’re creating.”

The experience he’s designed with collaborator Tommy Dill (performing as Soundularity) is meticulously calibrated to the building itself. Dill, who has conducted over 350 immersive sound experiences since 2021, brings scientific precision to what could otherwise feel like mystical handwaving. His approach combines 432Hz frequencies—believed to align with natural vibrations—with traditional healing instruments and electronic compositions that stimulate and soothe the nervous system in carefully orchestrated sequences.

“We’re not just playing music in a cool space,” Dill insists. “The architecture becomes an active participant in the experience. The Clock Tower has these incredible natural reverberations that couldn’t be replicated elsewhere.”

The three-hour experience unfolds across multiple tower floors, each transformed into a distinct sensory environment. Unlike traditional concerts where visual spectacle dominates, participants at Time Warp will experience the two sound journeys with their eyes closed, allowing carefully designed stroboscopic lighting and immersive sound to create what Pottern calls “a waking dream state.”

Photo Courtesy: Soundularity

The 18th floor is the primary ceremonial space, where Soundularity’s audio technology merges with Zen Den’s lighting design. Two floors up, DJ Loracle curates continuous music alongside non-alcoholic beverages, with 360-degree panoramic views providing a breathtaking backdrop. The journey culminates on the 21st floor with Denver Zen Den’s “Spaceship Dream” light journey near the historic bell and spiral staircase—deliberately juxtaposing cutting-edge technology with century-old craftsmanship.

I pressed Pottern on whether this was essentially a rave without substances. He shook his head firmly.

“That comparison misses what we’re doing entirely. This isn’t about escapism—it’s about heightened presence. Combining precisely calibrated sensory experiences with conscious breathing and movement allows you to access transformative states with or without substances.”

His real estate background appears valuable in identifying architectural spaces with potential for transformation. The Clock Tower’s vertical layout creates opportunities that are impossible in conventional venues. Industrial features and exposed materials create natural acoustic environments that enhance rather than compete with the designed sound.

What’s striking about Time Warp is how it complements Denver’s evolving identity—a city increasingly defined by the intersection of wellness, technology, and creative expression. Pottern describes it as “a love letter to Denver’s creative spirit” that offers participants a new perspective, both literally and figuratively.

As Denver continues its rapid transformation from a western outpost to a technology hub, events like Time Warp suggest a future where urban heritage and cutting-edge experiences coexist more harmoniously than many might expect. For Dill and Pottern, this collaboration represents the beginning of possibilities as Denver Zen Den expands.

“We’re just starting to explore what’s possible when you take wellness out of sterile studios and into the living architecture of the city,” he says, gazing up at the Clock Tower. “Time collapses in spaces like these. You feel the past and future simultaneously.”

For a city increasingly defined by its future, that might be the genuinely Denver experience of all.

Want to contact Michael Pottern? Email him or explore his website, Denver Zen Den.

Published by Anne C.