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.

With no plan and no genre in mind, they began experimenting. What started as two friends jamming in a room evolved into something deeper: a hybrid system rooted in improvisation, where acoustic drums, analogue synths, and laptops interact in real time. A space to explore sound without rules — vivid, messy, and completely their own.

At first, they weren’t thinking about audiences. But gradually, they began sharing it — with friends, in basements, at warehouse parties and DIY spaces around Manchester. The response was real. Fellow travellers began to gather — drawn to the raw spirit at the project’s core. 808 State legend Graham Massey and instrument innovator Piotr Raczyński (Polyend) were among the first to catch on, sharing their wisdom and encouraging the duo to stay true to their instincts.

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