Elf Traps is the new project from Rob Turner (former GoGo Penguin) and Liviu Gheorghe (former Matthew Halsall). Born of creative restlessness and deep friendship comes a wild, improvisation-driven sound world where acoustic drums, robotic percussion machines and synths interact in real time.
Their debut release, Sunflowers In A Blue Sky, captured the energy of Elf Traps’ underground live shows in a focused two-track EP, blending Turner’s glitch-inflected drumming with Gheorghe’s expansive, textural synth work. The release attracted strong specialist radio support across BBC Introducing, BBC 6 Music, and Stuart Maconie’s Freak Zone, with Elf Traps named BBC Introducing “One to Watch 2026.”
Their new single ‘Harp E’ is high-energy and percussive, driven by urgent rhythms and machine-human interplay.
Blending spiritual jazz, glitchy electronics, jungle, ambient and beyond, their sound draws on influences from Squarepusher, Kieran Hebden & Steve Reid, Buddhism, Star Trek and the organic forms of Friedensreich Hundertwasser — shaping a kaleidoscopic sonic landscape that feels dreamlike, instinctive and entirely their own.

Elf Traps is the new project from Rob Turner (former GoGo Penguin) and Liviu Gheorghe (former Matthew Halsall). Born of creative restlessness and deep friendship comes a wild, improvisation-driven sound world where acoustic drums, robotic percussion machines and synths interact in real time.

Sunflowers In A Blue Sky — the debut 2-track EP — distils the energy of Elf Traps' underground live shows. It's a snapshot of their evolving sound. Turner's iconic, glitch-infused drumming pushes into new territory with electronics, fused with Gheorghe's textural expansive synths and virtuosic touch. Their raw and immersive performances have drawn them from underground spaces into the orbit of major electronic artists and onto stages with acts like 808 State.
Blending spiritual jazz, glitchy electronics, jungle, ambient and beyond, their sound draws on influences from Squarepusher, Kieran Hebden & Steve Reid, Buddhism, Star Trek and the organic forms of Friedensreich Hundertwasser — shaping a kaleidoscopic sonic landscape that feels dreamlike, instinctive and entirely their own.

Elf Traps is the new project from Rob Turner (former GoGo Penguin) and Liviu Gheorghe (former Matthew Halsall). Born of creative restlessness and deep friendship comes a wild, improvisation-driven sound world where acoustic drums, robotic percussion machines and synths interact in real time.
Their debut release, Sunflowers In A Blue Sky, captured the energy of Elf Traps’ underground live shows in a focused two-track EP, blending Turner’s glitch-inflected drumming with Gheorghe’s expansive, textural synth work. The release attracted strong specialist radio support across BBC Introducing, BBC 6 Music, and Stuart Maconie’s Freak Zone, with Elf Traps named BBC Introducing “One to Watch 2026.”
Their second EP expands the palette further. “Blop” is high-energy and percussive, driven by urgent rhythms and machine-human interplay, while “New Moon” moves into more hypnotic territory — trippy sampled vocals, slow-burn grooves, and immersive atmospheres.
Blending spiritual jazz, glitchy electronics, jungle, ambient and beyond, their sound draws on influences from Squarepusher, Kieran Hebden & Steve Reid, Buddhism, Star Trek and the organic forms of Friedensreich Hundertwasser — shaping a kaleidoscopic sonic landscape that feels dreamlike, instinctive and entirely their own.