Alisa Nedashkovska - also known as Travis or Alice - is a Ukrainian DJ, producer, audiovisual storyteller and sound designer based in Berlin. Known for her boundary-pushing, genre-blending style, her sound traverses the spectrum from musique concrete to pulsating club rhythms. On July 17th, her debut EP, “Travis Goes Deep,” drops on Mystictrax, complete with a remix by Na Nich. The vinyl reveals six tracks that capture a pivotal chapter in her inner evolution, delving into a psychological evolution amid a time of sweeping life changes. Expect raw, tactile soundscapes, DIY contact mics, glitch textures, pink noise colliding with distorted basslines and punchy punk vocals. To mark the occasion, Alisa shares with us her creative references, the interdisciplinary nature of her live performances, and the artistic vision driving her forward.

Welcome, a glass of?

Wine.

How did the music and culture of your childhood influence you?

2007 — punk rock, emo-core, no 4x4, weekly jam sessions, songs with soul-tearing lyrics, we wrote songs ourselves to pour out all that teenage pain - recently found a diary with the lyrics.

Do you remember how you discovered electronic music?

Depends on what you mean by electronic music and which kind exactly. But the significant moment was 2010 — dubstep events, I went alone so no one would distract me with conversations.

Do you have any music education?

Just finished! Bachelor's in Music and Sound for Visual Media, Catalyst Institute for Art and Technologies, in Berlin

On that note, what musical experiences really stood out to you?

At my university there were listening sessions where real selectors like Adrián de Alfonso or Gary Schultz came and showed us such incredibly diverse, beautiful, and captivating music — I'm very grateful to them, it had a strong impact on me. Not straying too far, something like that can be heard in the experimental sets of ISH - interview here - or Olha Bekenshtein.

What was decisive to become a producer?

I finally listened to my body.

Your sound in 3 words?

Travis or Alice

Where is your studio? What gear do you use to produce?

Home studio: Logic, Current, Random Synth, Portal, + Zoom Recorder, + contact mics, etc.

What emotions or ideas does your Ep “Travis Goes Deep” carry?

SCREAM!! It's a diary of your mental development - stream here.

What does the cover symbolize?

This is an independent work, a painting made with charcoal on linen from the Flowers series by the artist Sophus. It's one of my favorites from him. His works are very profound — Sophus also goes quite deep in excavating his own consciousness. Just as it is for me, the body creates an imprint of the subconscious, and meaning comes later, if anyone needs it. If you look closely, you will see a uterus in it — interpret it however you feel.

Where can we find your EP?

It will find you.

Tape or vinyl?

Matter doesn't matter. Both are fun. Tape reminds me of my childhood, vinyl reminds me of falling in love with playing music.

Could you sum up the spirit of Elektropolis Studio since its launch in 2022?

Elektropolis is me and Ismael Zouaoui (aka ISH) and our adventures in the Schöneweide area of Berlin, specifically in MaHalla. 120 years ago, this micro-disctrict was called Elektropolis. Isn't that a cool name? Ismael and I — each of us — are very versatile in terms of musical projects and tastes. This studio marks the seriousness of our future intentions and plans; we've been playing at being independent musicians for a long time, and soon the world will see a new level of our creative projects, made in collaboration or for other professionals in the creative industry.

I listened to your live performance at Asaloda in Poland’s B-side district, where you blended vinyl samples and spoken word… You also participated in Berlin Art Week 2025 with the performance “Big Brother’s Playground” … Could you walk us through your approach to live performances, the philosophy driving these projects and the equipment you use?

It's all hard to grasp, isn't it? In my live performance "Alice in Layers," I reference the musique concrète style and reinterpret it, using vinyl records as the main instrument. I wouldn't call it a hybrid live — I sample them using a loop station, amplifying, as a rule, those parts we all try to skip past and get back to the beat. If you hear spoken word — it's a kind of personal journaling for me; I share funny voice memos from my own life or friends' lives, or phrases from lectures or interviews I've heard that stuck with me. Instead of sharing a link to this interview on Instagram or Facebook, I share them through my live set. In one of the shows I've uploaded on Youtube, you'll hear the live reading of PhD by a talented writer I was lucky enough to do a show with. Every performance — a new theme. And in general, there are no rules; I use whatever I want — I can use contact mics, play a classical composition from my phone, or throw in my unmixed track. Doesn't matter. In the Asaloda recording you can hear, on repeat, a voice recording of a woman howling — she was on something and she was feeling very, very good. The other project, which we presented with the artist Sophus at Berlin Art Week, was called Coal is an Acid Line. I attached contact microphones to the canvas so people could hear him drawing. I layered effects over the sounds of his movement, which resulted in a kind of hybrid interdisciplinary live performance. I would love to do more of these audio-interactive things.

What does music mean to you?

Language.

And what about your project Crystal Mics?

Ohhh, thank you for asking! This is the most beautiful and dearest project I've ever had! These are contact microphones that pick up vibration from a surface, not from the air. This project is about expanding creativity — for musicians, performers, sound designers, and other creators. It's an easy entry point into music production, into tactile sound-making, into the world of sound design, where there simply is no mistake, because there are no expectations and no rules. I build the communication around this brand to be easy-going and friendly, because I'm tired of the masculine toxic vibe of big music-tech brands.

What are your top 5 festivals and venues?

Moving to Berlin I've discovered OHM. I'm not going out much anymore, so I will just name this venue as the one where music inspires me the most.

Your 5 favorite labels?

I want to introduce you to a couple of imprints I recently dug for my “Alice in Layers” show: Haunter Records, Bocian, Stray Signals, Vidab Records, Tempo Music.

Your favorite record stores?

Let me just name where I bought my records the most last year: Kimсhi Records, Marla Records, Octan Kyiv, Jackson Records, Sound Metaphors.

A banger for you in 3-4 words?

I want to cry.

Any ritual before a gig?

Before my very first gig I was so nervous; I bought myself a little totem: a small plush bear from my favourite cartoon “We Bare Bears” and carried him to all my first gigs.

If you could have a brief conversation with an artist…

Squarepusher. I have a lot of questions for him.

Without music, life would be…

Deaf.

If I mention AI…

AI is not the enemy, beware of humans.

Your top 5 new releases?

Here I want to support my talented schoolmates:

- 6zure “Una Voce”

- Arin0 “anything”

- Directional “Live in Berlin”

- Broken Noise “Disco Nap”

- tara “Gugugaga”

Your top 5 old releases?

- Adam Pits “Stagga”

- Modselektor - Social Distance feat. Flohio (Richard Devine A Cappella Edit)

- Stereophonic Rockers “Expanded Groove” (original mix)

- Anacoeic Void “Celestial Dream”

- S1000 “Flatline” (original Mix)

Any favorite motto-adages?

Sit back, relax and enjoy the flight.

What's next?

Enjoying the flight.

You’ve been reinventing yourself for years; it’s inspiring. Who is the Travis or Alice of this chapter? In 3 words please.

Have no clue.

Interviewed by Sabrina Bouzidi.