Josh Gard, better known by his stage name Figure, is an American electronic music producer and DJ from Evansville, Indiana. He is best known for his horror-themed dubstep and drumstep productions, particularly his long-running Monsters series, which combines electronic bass music with themes and samples inspired by horror films.

Early life

Gard was born and raised in Evansville. He began learning to scratch records, mix music and create beats at approximately 16 years old. His early musical interests included hip-hop before he became increasingly influenced by electronic music, particularly drum and bass, big beat and artists such as The Prodigy.

Gard has described Evansville as an unlikely place from which to begin an electronic dance music career. He recalled that the city had relatively little electronic music activity while he was growing up, although it had an established local punk scene.

Gard continued producing music from Evansville as his career began attracting audiences outside Indiana.

Career

Gard began releasing music under the name Figure in 2009. Among his early releases were the EPs In & Out of Brooklyn and House on the Hill. His music gradually evolved from electro house toward the heavier bass-oriented sound for which he became known.

His breakthrough came through his combination of electronic music and horror imagery.

In 2011, Figure launched Monsters of Drumstep, beginning what became a long-running series of horror-themed releases. Songs incorporated references to monsters, horror movies and other elements of horror culture, establishing an identity that distinguished Figure within the dubstep and bass-music scenes.

The Monsters series subsequently became one of the defining elements of Gard’s career. He later founded his own imprint, DOOM Music, which became the home of the series.

Universal Studios

Figure’s association with horror music eventually led to work connected with Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights.

Beginning in the early 2010s, his music was used as part of the annual Halloween attraction, including music associated with its haunted houses and other areas of the event.

The relationship was a natural extension of Figure’s music, which frequently incorporated horror-film themes, monsters, dialogue and sound effects into electronic productions.

Recordings and collaborations

Figure has released a large catalog of albums, EPs, singles and remixes spanning dubstep, drumstep, electro house and other forms of electronic music.

In 2013, he released Horns of the Apocalypse through OWSLA, the electronic music label co-founded by Skrillex.

In 2015, Figure released Gravity, his first full-length studio album. Unlike the heavily horror-oriented Monsters releases, Gravity placed greater emphasis on electronic composition and production without relying on a single horror theme.

His Monsters 7 release subsequently appeared on a Billboard electronic chart in 2016.

Over the course of his career, Figure has released or collaborated on music involving artists including Diplo, Tommy Lee, Excision, BT, Borgore, Del the Funky Homosapien and Kool Keith.

Live performances

Figure’s success as a producer led to an international touring career.

He progressed from club performances to appearances at major electronic music festivals, including Electric Daisy Carnival, SnowGlobe, Creamfields Australia, Dour Festival, Starscape and TomorrowWorld.

His performances have combined traditional DJ equipment with digital technology, allowing him to manipulate beats and tracks during live performances.

Later career

Gard has continued recording and performing as Figure into the 2020s while maintaining the horror-oriented identity associated with much of his career.

The Monsters series has continued for more than a decade, developing into one of the longest-running projects of his career.

He has also continued releasing new singles, remixes and other electronic music while performing for audiences throughout the United States.

Evansville

Gard’s career is notable for having developed outside the traditional music-industry centers of Los Angeles, New York and Nashville.

He began producing electronic music in Evansville, and early in his career continued to identify the city as his hometown and base of operations even as his music began reaching national and international audiences.

His career eventually took him from producing electronic music in Evansville to international festival appearances, releases through major electronic music labels and an association with Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights.