About
Ryan Gilbert, aka Comma was born in Seattle in 1981 to a doctor and a teacher. His childhood was filled with early MIDI computer music and the theme song from Beverly Hills Cop: a suburban 1980’s existence. In 1990, his dad gave him his first rap and electro tape; little did he know how much this sound would shape his life.
At the age of 18, Comma moved to Northern California to attend college in Santa Cruz. This time was largely spent sneaking off to San Francisco to hear drum and bass music in the middle of the night. This futuristic sound changed his world, inspiring him to begin DJing and learning the craft of electronic production.
Around this time Comma met Boreta, and the two formed Slidecamp, an electronic duo that would become an underground fixture through emotional songs and experimental sound design. It was in this era that he came into his own as a chief architect of the intricate, intelligent “forest crunk” sound that defines Slidecamp’s warped productions.
This sound became the basis for Comma to reflect his wide range of influences. From melodic, acidy electro and ambient to the twisted half-time Slidecamp aesthetic, his originality and attention to detail signified all his productions. He was also a versatile DJ, dropping scorching bass music, dripping sunrise anthems, and witching hour minimal at underground festivals and events up and down the West Coast.
While his style continues to mutate into a beast of its own, Comma’s signature touch is unmistakeable. With an upcoming Slidecamp LP on renowned electronic label n5MD, a solo release out soon on Mr. Projectile’s Semisexual imprint, a few special remixes in the works, and an all-original live set that can only be described as an emotional journey, the bright future is under way for this wide-eyed Cascadian. Stay lucid.
