SPOTLIGHT: Travis Nyland // Local Producer and General Badass

Travis Nyland // EDM Producer

Columbus, Ohio

After picking up EDM production about 6 years ago, Travis Nyland, also known as Travie LeMac, has been making his mark on the Central Ohio EDM scene with his unique tracks and over the top performances. And when I say over the top, I mean over the top. During his performances, he can be spotted across the room clad in metallic gold and standing above the crowd waiting for the drop. If you haven't seen him already, do it and do it soon. This guy is not one to miss. 

the native soundwaves: How did you get involved in producing EDM? Travis Nyland: I had always wanted to be a musician and I found that I could teach myself how to make music off of an abundance of resources online. It was then that I downloaded a copy of Ableton and spent at least 4 hours a day learning all the ins and outs of music production. I really enjoyed it and just decided to keep going with it.

tns: What do you consider yourself? An artist, producer, DJ, something else? TN: While I do consider myself all of these things, I primarily identify as a producer. I generally avoid the title of DJ just because of the negative stigma that comes along with that. I'd rather be known for the music I've created and put time into rather than just for playing other peoples music at parties, despite how much I do enjoy playing shows.

tns: What is your favorite part of producing? 
TN: Honestly my favorite part is kind of spread throughout. I enjoy getting an "AHA" moment and finding a badass sound that compliments the track. Just tinkering and finding out what sounds best or what doesn't sound good at all is amusing and you end up feeling almost like a sculptor or painter. It's a lot of fun just building a track in and off itself.

tns: Do you have any kind of process when you're producing? TN: Honestly, there's no real organized or consistent process. Every track I've made has started out differently and taken a different amount of time. Sometimes I just build on a sound without any real end goal and it evolves into something crazy I would have never anticipated, or it could be having an idea for exactly how a song should sound and I end up spending weeks carefully working on every little detail to accomplish that. It really is unpredictable! tns: Do you have any influences TN: I mean deadmau5 and daft punk were originally my two favorite artists that I really wanted to emulate, but now unless I specifically like the vibe of a song and want to try to figure out how to replicate it, I usually just try to make what I think would sound cool in my head. I guess out of any sort of influences it would be a combo of emancipator and Woolymammoth. I like the chilled out tunes that emacipator brings along with the crazy percussion or synths that wooly dishes out. I guess if you combined those two it would be along the lines of what I'd like to make. 

tns: Top three favorite artists (at the moment)? TN: Right now I'm really into Too Many Zooz. They're a brass house group from NYC that makes acoustic dance music- really intense and interesting stuff right there. Woolymammoth is another favorite and I think Hudson Mohawke is absolutely badass as well! tns: If you could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why? TN: It would have to be C.S. Lewis. I've really enjoyed his writings and I'd love to get his perspective on alot of things in person. I'm a huge fan of his. For more Travis Nyland, check out his SoundCloud and Instagram, @travie_lemacenstein. He is also available for booking and can be contacted at lemac.production@gmail.com.

xx. Sheridan