‘Bringing Durham’s house party scene to the big stage’: The launch of Soundhaus

We spoke to Soundhaus about their recent launch and plans to bring “Durham’s house party scene to the big stage”.  They aim to offer fun and affordable events, open to everyone, showcasing new talents among aspiring DJs.

‘By students, for students’

Nik, a second-year international student, founded Soundhaus in the summer of 2025, hoping to promote “talent under the surface that hasn’t been scratched yet”.

Soundhaus’ name is a double entendre, understood to mean both house parties and house music, creating a unique fusion derived from its German spelling. Nik told us Soundhaus began as an expression of that interest, honing in on the fact “the best part of the night is pres”.

The events company was formed around Nik’s love and respect for the UK music scene, despite growing up in a variety of countries, including the US, Singapore, and India. He spoke of particular genres like EDM and rock, which ultimately shaped his musical influences, as well as playing the guitar.

Significantly, they aim to host events through a shared appreciation of music as a “universal language”, irrespective of background; crucially, everyone can connect through music.

Reviving house party culture, or ‘takeovers’

Soundhaus’ unique selling point is certainly their emphasis on house party take-overs, hoping to perform DJ sets at student houses, in collaboration with individual hosts. They stress the importance of cost, aiming to keep events as cheap and accessible as possible.

They recently hosted numerous “pre-release house party takeovers” in preparation for their upcoming launch, providing equipment including speakers, music, etc.

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Soundhaus talks of the importance of creating a certain “vibe”, which encapsulates not only an appreciation of the music, but a more general thrill which comes with parties. This refers to meeting new people, discovering new tracks, and simply bringing the energy for an event as varied as these.

Nik described this as having “different zones” where people are able to connect under the same confines of a house.

Soundhaus’ launch party at Blue Eye

Soundhaus hosted their first official, paid event at Blue Eye, a cocktail bar. The two-story space provided a dual opportunity for socialising and the option to enjoy the DJ set upstairs, with a dance floor.

Entry was very affordable, and it reached capacity – a sign of future successes, and bigger and better events to come.

They plan to collaborate with other names in Durham, and hope to expand into other cities based on this initial success.

Showcasing new and upcoming artists

Soundhaus aims to transform the Durham nightlife scene by offering a broad range of music talents, specialising in genres like UKG, techno and house, as well as drum and bass. They do this through sourcing new artists at Durham University’s DJ Society, who meet on Thursdays.

Nik told The Durham Tab Soundhaus finds new artists as part of their commitment to running this project with “as little of an ego as possible”. They believe new faces are an important part of keeping both engagement and excitement high, expanding on the thrill and anticipation of each event, which is different from the next.

He also spoke of the overfamiliarity which comes with DJ companies, stressing that he wants to use this platform to bring new artists in, as it is often hard to get started in such a selective industry.

A fluid approach to music

Soundhaus offers a “more unique and varied” night-out, infusing the often smallness and consistency of Durham nightlife with the urban culture of bigger cities such as Newcastle, providing a diverse range of genres.

This fluidity aims to provide a more immersive musical experience, combined with the social side of events, focused on good music, complimented by the joys of house-parties through socialising, games, and of course, drinks (if desired).

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