DJ, producer, and Leftroom Records founder Matt Tolfrey has passed away.
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The cause of death has not been disclosed. Tolfrey was 44.
Damian Lazarus, a close friend and musician, paid tribute to the late DJ in an emotional Instagram post.
“This weekend, we lost a key member of the extended Crosstown Rebels family,” Lazarus began. “Matt Tolfrey played a major role in our music scene and will be very sorely missed.”
“We first met in Nottingham when I was booked to play at Stealth, and we went on to work and play together for the best part of 20 years,” he continued. “He produced key singles and remixes for us and, in recent years, was responsible for helping us work with artists that he represented.”
“Like us, Matt believed in community and bringing people together on and off the dancefloor and his record label Leftroom Records. He has played an important role in bringing like-minded music makers together,” Lazarus recalled.
“Matt was a brilliant DJ and was represented by myself and Will in the very early days of the Rebel Agency (now NGE). His cheeky smile and humor 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,” he concluded.
Matt Tolfrey Made His DJ Debut in 2004
Born in 1980, Tolfrey grew up in Bahrain, returning to the UK at 16. He started DJing in Nottingham while studying, then debuted at London’s Fabric in 2004.
He was spotted after playing at The Bomb in Nottingham. “Not long after, I got a call from Craig Richards one early morning. At first, I couldn’t work out who it was. He offered me to come down to London to play at Fabric. And that’s how it all began,’ he told DJ Magazine in 2012.
“I can’t imagine things like that happening now. Once I played at Fabric, I started getting booked elsewhere, because it was such a big thing,” he told the outlet then.
Tolfrey worked as a producer for labels like Crosstown Rebels, REKIDS, and Phonica before founding his own label, Leftroom. In 2012, he released his debut full-length album, Word of Mouth, through Leftroom Records.
Meanwhile, Tolfrey released his second album, All Shapes and Sizes, in 2020.
Since the pandemic, Tolfrey primarily focused on his One 800 management company, representing artists such as Archie Hamilton, Jansons, Jordan Peake, Guti, Jesse Calosso, Fleur Shore, and Mason Collective. He also handled A&R for The Martinez Brothers’ Cuttin’ Headz label, per DJ Magazine.
Tolfrey is survived by his former partner, Hayley, and their two daughters, Aria and Beau.