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Thriving local music scenes are built on innovation from artists and promoters taking creative risks. Case and point: Haus of Untz. Founded in 2023 during a time in which bass music dominated the Northwest Arkansas scene, the trio of DJ Girlfriend, ROCKELLE, and Susie Q banded together through shared bonds of their passion for spinning house, techno, and more.
Since the collective's founding, they've evolved from DIY shows in houses to meticulously curated event nights across local clubs. Throughout their existence, Haus of Untz have also held an unwavering commitment to the betterment of the local electronic community. Whether it's through donating funds to pertinent causes or educating their fans on topics like overdose prevention and response, they've given Northwest Arkansas a safer, healthier, thriving scene.
We spoke with the Haus of Untz team about the earliest days of their work, how the Northwest Arkansas electronic scene has evolved, their upcoming debut New Years' Eve extravaganza (tickets available here), and their plans for 2026 and beyond.
Can you take us through the earliest days of Haus of Untz? How did the collective come together and how did each of your backgrounds in DJing and night life contribute to its formation?
We met in 2021 through a local music festival that we all played at. We heard each other play and admired the others’ style and skill. We quickly became friends in addition to being colleagues, and would often hang out and talk about local music, specifically about the fact that there wasn’t really a House/Techno presence in our scene. We wanted to be able to hear this music and we were curious to see if anyone else felt the same way we did. So, we decided to throw a house party (called it House House Party because it was House music being played in a house) and just saw what happened. We ended up selling out the first event and it was magical. We each played a set and everyone just vibed together, complete strangers mind you. With us being DJs ourselves as well as people who go to shows, we always put ourselves in those shoes. Like if we were going to a show, what would make us feel welcome and appreciated? What would make us feel like we were free to be ourselves and really connect with the music and people around us? We had those things in mind as the result of a desire for them to exist, and so that’s how Haus of Untz was born.
How would you evaluate the electronic scene in Northwest Arkansas at the time of Haus of Untz’s formation? How has it evolved from your perspective?
The electronic music scene was mostly occupied by Bass music at the time we started, which we have a lot of love and respect for, but there wasn’t much variety outside of that. Today, it’s the complete opposite. Whatever your vibe-whether that’s Dubstep, Techno, House, Ambient, DnB, Psytrance, etc-, there is someone in Northwest Arkansas who plays it or it won’t be long before someone does. Now more than ever there’s space for everyone to showcase their unique sound.
You’ve meticulously curated your events, whether it’s Rave To The Grave or Avant Guard. Can you speak to the work that goes into crafting every event? What’re some of the major highlights to date for Haus of Untz?
When we plan events, our first thought is “What kind of vibe are we going for?” Do we want a rager or something more intimate and chill? That determines how much work will go into a show. Sometimes that means planning months in advance and coordinating several moving parts with DJs and musicians, artists, performers, venue staff, event staff, etc. Other times it could be just showing up and playing music! We would say one major highlight to date would be our Pride show from this past June. It was a 2-night celebration comprising of 2 venues, 8 DJs, and several artists and creatives who helped with making decor for the show and putting it up/taking it down. We were able to raise money for a local organization that creates spaces for Trans people to exist freely and safely. It would not have happened the way it did without the many incredible people who helped us put it together.
Your social media is not just a way to promote events - it’s a platform to educate followers on everything from the history of electronic subgenres to drug safety. Can you talk about the importance of using your social media as a meeting place for information?
We figured since people were already looking to our social media for info about shows, why not try to empower and educate while we have their attention? When it comes to what we do, we feel that all of these aspects of electronic music- whether it’s history, DJing and rave tips, drug safety, or show details- go hand-in-hand and we use our social media as a one-stop-shop that guides people to not only understand what we do, but as a gateway to exploring electronic music and culture as a whole.
You’ve collaborated with organizations like End Overdose Arkansas on bringing overdose response training and naloxone to events. Why is it important for Haus of Untz to support overdose prevention and response in Northwest Arkansas?
We throw parties so we feel it would be irresponsible to not talk about overdose prevention and response! We have always been about the wellbeing of those in our spaces, and that includes having honest, judgement-free conversations about how to protect ourselves and our friends. We had been wanting to find a way to speak about drug safety, but didn’t feel comfortable due to our lack of knowledge about the matter. End Overdose was a huge help in filling that gap and making it easier for organizations like ours to get trusted information to our audiences in a way that wasn’t talking down on them or telling them what to do with their lives. Now several local Northwest Arkansas promoters, DJs, and show attendees know how to respond to an overdose and keep naloxone in their spaces because of the End Overdose trainings done at our shows. It’s making a real impact and keeping our communities safer, and we’re happy to support!
You have your first New Year’s Eve show locked in for the end of December. How did this one come together and what’re you anticipating most on your collective farewell to 2025?
People have asked us to do a New Year’s Eve show since we started, but we never did due to either all three of us already being booked for a NYE gig or we were just too tired from doing shows back to back all year. This year, we decided we really wanted to do it, not only for the people who wanted it but for ourselves. We are especially looking forward to hearing the lineup for this event which includes Robe Flax, Hexxanna, Tris10, Ghettdown, and XOLO in addition to ourselves. It’s going to be a really beautiful intertwining of multiple subgenres of electronic music and cultures throughout the night, which we feel is a pretty good summary of what the year was like for us! Most of all, we’re looking forward to a lot of our friends and community being together, celebrating all we accomplished.
What’re your plans for Haus of Untz in 2026 as you hit your three-year anniversary? And what’s your ultimate vision for Haus of Untz as a whole?
2026 is looking pretty exciting. We’re looking forward to running some shows back as well as trying some new ideas out. We booked a lot of people we’ve never had before and that was a lot of fun to uncover more talent from both our own backyard and from other places (Memphis, Mexico, Oklahoma, etc.) We’re also working to expand Haus of Untz’s reach by adopting new mediums to showcase what we do (more details to come hehe!) and make some connections outside of Arkansas.
Overall, we want to put Arkansas on the electronic music map. We’ve got the community to do it and we’re confident we’ll do it together. We just hope to aid in sustaining it as best as we can for as long as we can for us and the generations after.