What drove Martel to reconnect with her roots? Let’s call it a mix of languishing and love. “After releasing my last album with RYAN Playground, I felt like I needed some change. I felt a bit disoriented in my musical journey,” she explains candidly. “And at the same moment, I met my girlfriend with whom I shared a lot of musical car trips and we just started to listen to trance nonstop together, we would show each other records, and then I kind of wanted to impress her.”

That wasn’t the sole motivator, though. “I really love classic trance plucks — I feel like it’s very easy for me to write melodies with these kinds of sounds,” Martel explains of the sonic qualities that have long resonated with her. “I never thought about it until now, actually, but I think I really love these sounds, maybe because also it reminds me of my first instrument, which is the guitar.”

In 2022, TDJ dropped ‘Underwater’ — a selection that leads with brooding strings. It unfolds into a shoegazer-style rock cut, lending a nod to her other affinities. But that jam is an outlier: Her recent ‘Trance Deténte Jazz’ compilation, which integrates samples of pop classics, or her behemoth ‘SPF INFINI’ trilogy, which pairs original art films with continuous mixes, are more reflective of her sweeping sets. Of course, those who attended any of the exclusive ‘SPF INFINI’ release parties have already witnessed Martel’s ambition up close.

On 22nd February, TDJ made her Higher Ground debut with ‘Come Back Home’, a lush, bouncy gem, featuring Martel’s brilliant vocals. Written, produced, and performed by TDJ, it’s a testament to the fact that she’s at the top of her game — and with upwards of 100 shows on the horizon for 2024, this deep-seated sense of perseverance is all but required.

“I tell this to a lot of people and they’re like, ‘How will you survive? Like how?’” she laughs. “But somehow, I feel like I’m kind of built for that. Travelling and not knowing what to expect, I kind of love it.” Like the snowflakes outside, her anticipation is piling up high. It’s clear, TDJ is ready to take on the storm