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https://wegottickets.com/event/693278: Elf Traps + John Haycock + DJ Red Tin Dave Sunday 10 May 7pm

Elf Traps

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, Star Trek, 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 LP — 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.

John Haycock

John Haycock is an accomplished kora player having trained with Gambian griot and kora master Jali Nyonkoling Kuyateh for over 10 years.

John’s musical inquisitiveness  has led him to embrace the fusion of electronic and woodwind elements in his compositions and live performances to create captivating and emotive soundscapes.

 Influenced by luminaries of ambient music and minimalism as well as the improvisational nature of spiritual jazz,  John’s compositions evoke contemplative and ethereal atmospheres, featuring dub-inflections that add a hypnotic and meditative quality.

DJ Red Tin Dave

Dave plays a mix of Americana, Psych, Soul and Folktronica. He regularly plays at the famed Calder Valley venues the Trades Club and the Golden Lion where he warmed up for Andrew Weatherall on numerous occasions. He has also played festivals such as Glastonbury, Beat-herder, Krankenhaus and Solfest.