Dark Matter presents Elf Traps + John Haycock + DJ Red Tin Dave

Event information

Elf Traps is the new project from Manchester-based musicians Rob Turner (ex–GoGo Penguin) and Liviu Gheorghe (ex–Matthew Halsall) — a collaboration born from creative restlessness and deep friendship.

After years inside the traditional frameworks of the music world, both felt the need to follow instinct over expectation. So they stepped back — from their bands, from the noise — and started again.

Their sound blends spiritual jazz, glitchy electronics, jungle, ambient, and beyond —weaving influences from Squarepusher, Kieran Hebden & Steve Reid, Buddhism, StarTrek, and the vivid, organic forms of artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Turner’s iconic, glitch-inflected drumming merges with Gheorghe’s textural, expansive synths to create a fresh, immersive sonic landscape.

Now, after quietly forging their path in the underground, Elf Traps are preparing to release their debut EP — a snapshot of their evolving sound. It’s not about nostalgia or genre, it’s about what happens when you strip everything back and trust the process.

Two musicians. One conversation. Infinite possibility.