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| News Welcome to the Helen Scarsdale Agency. RIP Matt Shoemaker. The Helen Scarsdale Agency is deeply saddened by the death of Matt Shoemaker. He died on August 12, 2017. Matt was an artist from Seattle, Washington, whose work with sound manifest as some of the most singular, densely compacted, carefully arranged, and hauntingly beautiful transmissions we have not only published but also experienced. Unfortunately, his work remains unknown to many; yet those who take the time to experience it are inevitably transfixed. His first works were published through the highly influential Trente Oiseaux label, which helped pioneer the microsound / lowercase aesthetic at the turn of the millennium. A visionary beyond contemporary trends of the institutional avant-garde, Shoemaker never fit comfortably on that label's roster. His work radiated a blossoming intensity through the treatment of sonic phenomena. These began through the manipulated field recording, then incorporated modular synthesis exploration and later with profoundly convoluted systems of electro-acoustics that involved room resonance, feedback systems and even long slinky-esque springs. The Helen Scarsdale Agency had the enormous pleasure of publishing two works from Shoemaker – Spots In The Sun (2007) and Erosion Of The Analogue Eye (2009). Both of these albums are slippery and cryptic in their morphology, deliberately articulating sonic details while refusing any single associated set of ideas. Matt once stated, "Obviousness is my art's antithesis." Shoemaker leaves behind an impressive catalogue that extends to our friends at Elevator Bath, Mystery Sea and the Masters Chemical Society. He was also an accomplished painter, rendering an equally quizzical visual language of molten, subcutaneously exposed figures. Few had the privilege of seeing this work as it was never exhibited, beyond his instagram channel. Though grieving in this loss of an artist and a friend, The Helen Scarsdale Agency only seeks to celebrate Matt and his work. Thus, the two aforementioned albums – Spots In The Sun and Erosion Of The Analogous Eye – will be made available for free. Yes, this does include the handful of physical discs remaining in the Agency's inventory in addition to the downloads at Bandcamp. Those seeking his physical publications will be asked to pay for shipping.  Our latest publications: The Helen Scarsdale Agency is working once again with Fossil Aerosol Mining Project. The core trackf to The Unlistening Place were recorded in 2015, and at the time were intended to be part of what was to be the final Fossil Aerosol album, scheduled for a distant release. But history circled back on itself, and the result was a reworking of future tracks, alongside more new material. Ekin Fil's Ghosts Inside is easily her most accomplished album to date for her somber, introspective lo-fi, shoegazing drone-pop. She's recently completed her first soundtrack which was screened at SXSW early this year, and she will have some tour dates in Europe in the fall. There may be a tour only cassette to be publishing at that time as well. But that's still in the works.
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Recently published: Fossil Aerosol Mining Project August 53rd : LP |
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| Distributors and retail outlets are welcome to contact the agency
if interested in directly buying from the Agency; and a full list
of our current distributors can be found here. We highly recommend that customers outside the North America make their purchases from these distributors, as the shipping costs have gone up dramatically for first class and priority to cross the border of the United States. In 2016, the rate increase was on average 21%. We cannot incur losses for this increase, and unfortunately this gets passed onto our beloved customers. If the shipping calculator through Paypal (which has always been a very blunt tool) over charges you, we will refund the difference upon calculating the exact price. If the shipping calculator under represents the cost, we may ask for an addition charge to cover the shipping. We do apologize; and again, we highly recommend you contacting any of our distributors to inquire about our products. Digital distribution is also available through Bandcamp, iTunes, Midheaven, Boomkat, and emusic, amongst other purveyors of the MP3. |
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| Facebook? Yes, The Helen Scarsdale Agency has joined Facebook. We will be posting various updates to what stock comes through our small mail order catalogue, links to various reviews from our publications, and announcements for interesting performances, exhibitions, and debacles from the many artists orbiting the Agency. You can find us by clicking here or the Facebook link in the menu above. |
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| The Helen Scarsdale Agency occasionally will send
out e-mail announcements of performances, events, and publications
related to the Agency. If you would like to received these announcements,
please fill out the form below. This information will not be shared
with any other organizations. |
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