Hello,
starting from ELK audio OS 1.0.0 the audio hat is autodetected by the load-drivers script, so the elk_system_utils command is not necessary in this case and it warns you with a message. Apart from the warning message the audio should be functional if the hat is properly detected and supported.
Since you’re experimenting it might be worth giving a shot to the latest 1.1.0 release Elk Audio OS 1.1