Press kit: Justin Helmer / Excavationpro

Short bio (50 words)

Justin Helmer is a Canadian artist who records as Excavationpro. The catalog is independent experimental hip-hop and electronic texture, recorded at home and streamed free. Longer creative work uses the name Lightfather. The masters stay in the artist’s vault; the public player stays open.

Medium bio (100 words)

Justin Helmer is a Canadian artist and independent publisher. He records as Excavationpro, a catalog of experimental hip-hop and electronic texture built at home without a label. Listeners know the free browser player at asiancoastline.com; the stores carry the same work under the names Justin Helmer and Excavationpro. Longer creative and mythic work uses Lightfather. Helmer also publishes LYGO, an open agent and tool stack. The through-line is ownership: the catalog is free to hear, the masters stay offline, and the artist keeps the door.

Long bio (200 words)

Justin Helmer is a Canadian artist, writer, and independent publisher. He records as Excavationpro, a large catalog of experimental hip-hop and electronic texture made at home without a label deciding what a song is allowed to be. The work ranges from songs and instrumentals to sketches and full projects; the through-line is a daily practice rather than a release cycle built for a chart.

Listeners can hear the public catalog free at asiancoastline.com, with no account and no paywall. The same work is available through the official store links under Justin Helmer and Excavationpro. Longer creative and mythic work uses the name Lightfather. Helmer also publishes LYGO, an open agent and tool stack that includes a local console, SkillHub, browser games, and the BPMfinder tempo tool.

His position on rights is straightforward: streams are listening copies, masters stay in the vault, and free listening is not a license to re-upload or sell the files. The essays at excavationpro.ca explain the model; the lyric vault at justinhelmer.ca holds the words. He lives in Canada and works online.

Facts that do not change

• Name: Justin Helmer
• Recording name: Excavationpro
• Long-form name: Lightfather
• Based: Canada
• Genres: experimental hip-hop, electronic, texture
• Model: independent; free public streams; masters offline
• Player: justinhelmer.ca/listen.html
• Artist house: excavationpro.ca
• Lyrics: justinhelmer.ca/lyrics/

Interview angles

Independent catalog economics; why the player is free while the masters stay offline; the difference between a stream and a master; recording at home without a label; the three-name structure; and the LYGO tool stack as the other half of the practice.

Assets and usage

The share image is justinhelmer.ca/assets/og-home.jpg; the hero is /assets/hero.jpg. You may use the bios and the images for editorial coverage with attribution. Do not re-upload the audio files, sell them, or present the catalog as your own. For a longer interview or a commercial use, use the contact page.

Press contact: excavationstation@gmail.com with “Press” in the subject.

A note on the three names

Use Justin Helmer for the person and the official artist name on stores. Use Excavationpro for the recording project and the catalog most listeners know. Use Lightfather only for the longer-form creative and mythic work, and do not treat it as a separate band.

If a story is about the catalog, Excavationpro is the right name. If it is about the person behind it, Justin Helmer is the right name. If it is about the LYGO tools, neither name is the subject; the tools are.

What to avoid

Please do not describe the catalog as a label, a band, or a playlist service. Do not imply that the streams are public domain, and do not use a track in a commercial video or podcast without asking. A short quote with a link is always fine.

A note on photos

Use the share image or the hero for editorial coverage. If you need a portrait, ask; there is no generic press portrait that represents every era. Do not crop a lyric card into a headshot, and do not add a store badge to an image in a way that implies an endorsement.