Matt Tolfrey obit

DJ, producer and Leftroom Records founder Matt Tolfrey has died 

Damian Lazarus paid tribute to his “important role in bringing like-minded music makers together"

 

He was not on the list.

DJ, producer, and Leftroom Records founder Matt Tolfrey has died, friend and fellow DJ Damian Lazarus has confirmed. 

Damian shared the news on Instagram this morning (October 13), explaining that Tolfrey passed away over the weekend. No cause of death was confirmed.

“This weekend we lost a key member of the extended Crosstown Rebels family,” he wrote. “Matt Tolfrey played a major role in our music scene and will be very sorely missed.” 

Matt Tolfrey was born in the UK and raised in Bahrain, returning to England as a teenager where he took up a DJ residency at a bar in Worcester.

While at university in Nottingham, Tolfrey took up a regular show on NTU’s Fly FM, and later met Damian Lazarus during an event at local nightclub Stealth. The pair then went on to work collaboratively and perform together regularly for “the best part of 20 years”. 

“He produced key singles and remixes for us [Crosstown Rebels], and in recent years, was responsible for helping us work with artists that he represented such as Alinka, Jaden Thompson, AJ Christou, and Guti,” Damian explained.

In 2005, Tolfrey launched his own record label, Leftroom, releasing projects from the likes of Lee Burridge, Kate Simko, DJ Bone, Jasper James, and many more – an imprint Damian says “played an important role in bringing like-minded music makers together.”

Offshoot labels Leftroom Limited and Leftout were launched following the success of Leftroom, while Tolfrey continued his work as both a DJ and producer under his original alias and his lesser-known Out-ed moniker. 

Tolfrey also went on to launch his own agency, TheOne800, working alongside the likes of Archie Hamilton, Fleur Shore, Kevin Knapp, and more.

“Like us, Matt believed in community and bringing people together on and off the dancefloor,” Damian said in tribute. “His cheeky smile and humour will be sorely missed.” 

“My heart goes out to everyone that knew and loved Matt but especially to his beautiful daughters Arla and Beau. RIP Matt, you left the room too early.”