genre-fluid songwriter, percussionist, producer, and DJ based in North Carofornia

new: the iridescent void

five improvised ambient electronic pieces to support the journey through the darkavailable for purchase on bandcamp and for streaming everywhereread more about what went into the music here

A halftone-pixelated and glitchy double-exposure photo of a forest at dusk. The pine trees are black and the sky is purple.

a salvific collection of beauty-first neoclassical ambient music that never ignores the darkness from which it emerges

on The Iridescent Void by Sleeping In Sound

a sense of drama… classy production, even though it’s quite sparse… a keeper

on Subcutaneous Homesick Bruise, Kris Jozajtis (Folk Devils) — LIFE ELSEWHERE vol 204

like a sad, queer Bruce Springsteen

Gabriel Saron, mandolinist (J.B. Barton + Co)

a formidable lyricist, full of wit, humor and crafty observations

on Purgatory CA, review

music that feels handmade, exploratory and deeply responsive to the moment of its creation

on The Iridescent Void, by Songplode

about

TJ Manuel reads the room for a living. As a performer, a teacher, a designer, and a DJ, she keeps a finger on the pulse of what each moment calls for: a beat, a minute of silence, a true thing said out loud.Classically trained as a percussionist and jazz drummer, Manuel started gigging in big bands and bar bands as a teenager in rural Northern California (where the rivers run faster and the internet runs slower). After picking up guitar, electronics, and multiple graduate degrees in the arts and qualitative social sciences, Manuel makes music that tosses and turns between sharp, observational, lyric-driven songwriting and devotional atmospheric ambient soundscaping. As a DJ, she is known for crafting reverent, cinematic sets — while often slipping in a dose of the unexpected. By day, she works in the mental health field, gathering stories of suffering and resilience in the face of it. By night, she chips away at sounds to support the inner journey.Manuel's music, whatever shape it may take in a given moment, is the music of someone who has devoted a life to deep listening, on and off the stage. Her latest project is Practice, an exploration of spiritual bypassing crafted, naturally, for the conscious dance floor.She's currently stuck in the portal between Northern California and North Carolina, on her way home to outer space.

personal details

performs as:
TJ Manuelalso known as:
Trace Manueloperates from:
Nevada City, CAhometown:
Redding, CAhometown also known as:
Scarlet Town, District 12, Calabamaday jobs (past):
avocado salesman, pixel pusher, visual artist, ag nonprofit spreadsheeter, yoga teacher, researcher, creative educatorday jobs (present):
designer + researcher in healthcare, student in therapy school, photographer and coachy type# of graduate degrees:
two (and one in progress)# of brain surgeries:
two

musical details

gigging since:
age 15instruments:
drums, percussion, guitars, electronics, hunt-and-peck synths, assorted cookwaresmusical style:
wry, lyric-driven; moody yet buoyant; a balance of ethereality and grit designed to kick you in the guts then make sure you're okayadjacent genres:
dream pop, alt-folk, alt-country, american roots, singer-songwriter, ambient, electronic, experimentalpairs well with:
Adrianne Lenker, John Moreland, boygenius, Neko Case, Hollie Kenniffhas shared the stage with:
Jolie Holland, Joe Pug, Izaak Opatz, various bandmates of the late Merle Haggardwrites about:
rural melancholia, suburban melancholia, California melancholia, fire, flood, flu, heartbreak, death, faith, god, complicated women, getting sick, getting well, the quiet agony of healing, the occasional Teslastage persona:
unexpectedly chipper# of Spotify followers:
twoof delay FXs on pedalboard:
more than four

current / recent work

recording new music for release in spring 2026DJing a small community dance on the San Juan ridge every monthfacilitating an ambient year-end journaling workshop with live-mixed soundscapesrecording + producing music for podcasts and guided audio meditationstaking photos of friendsplaying occasional house/backyard concerts and other grassroots, listening-forward shows (complete with live block-printed merchandise)

open to...

DJing sets/soundscapes for smallish and interesting gatheringshouse concerts + backyard showsco-facilitating contemplative gatherings

reach out

curious about collaborating on something or putting together an event? reach out below.coaches, community leaders, and other facilitators looking to craft contemplative experienced involving music — you are especially encouraged to connect.

tune in

this very cozy mailing list is the best place to get hand-typed updates on new releases and public offerings (these come a handful of times a year).sign up below to stay in the long, loose, loop.