ZANSTON.ES
PRESS / REVIEWS
Reviewed on VITAL WEEKLY
http://www.vitalweekly.net/
Somebody who has been active since the majority of you walked in diapers is Zan Hoffman. I never knew he had a strong relationship with Spain where's been a couple of times since 1993, but with musicians from there, he has been collaborating since 1985. On location he made a whole bunch of field recordings and for 'Donostiako Zuloak' he recorded 'holes in San Sebastian/Donesti' in 2007 as a preparation for a concert. I am not sure if this release is a recording of that concert, or based on the same material. Likewise I have no idea what he means by 'recordings made in holes'. Caves? Holes in the ground? Your guess is as good as mine, I guess. In the thirty minutes that this piece lasts Hoffman plays around with many sounds from natural sources, such as wind. Mainly wind actually. There are bits of mumbling voices, like children in the background and perhaps other human interference. The pieces more or less stays on one level, without moving in a distinctly different area, which makes it much more ambient in the sound scaping sense, then say microsound. One of those things you can put one, not too loud, and simply enjoy as a background piece. Ambient music so to say. (FdW)
Reviewed by Chris Dahlberg on COSMOSGAMING
http://www.cosmosgaming.com/
Anyone who has been familiar with experimental ambient over the years has likely come across a recording from Zan Hoffman and his Zanstones project. Since 1984 Hoffman has attempted to record sounds based around the locations he has visited, and capture sounds and ideas that have never been accurately represented in recorded form before. One of his latest pieces of work is the 30 minute long Donostiako Zuloak which was recorded in various “holes” in Spain in 2007. For this release the Zanstones name has been changed to Zanston.es to reflect its link to Spain (as .es is the internet extension designated to Spain). And like most of his work, this is definitely an acquired taste and for those who definitely want something unique to listen to.
It is unclear exactly what “holes” Zan Hoffman is referring to, but based on the way this disc sounds it is safe to assume that he is in a cave or a similar structure that wind circulates through. The reason that this assumption can be made is that wind is a major component of Donostiako Zuloak, and Hoffman lets the element speak for itself throughout the course of the release. He has certainly succeeded in this regard, as not only is the more calm and serene nature of the wind captured on Donostiako Zuloak but the more intense and creepy feeling that one gets as the wind begins to ramp up is captured as well. There are also moments where bizarre, muted mumbling and the sounds of a small child are audible as well which does add to the slightly creepy atmosphere. This is certainly an interesting piece of work, and much like the element it was recorded around the final disc evokes feelings of calmness with a little bit of uneasiness.
Zan Hoffman continues to be a master at what he does, as it is quite impressive at just how accurately he was able to capture one of the Earth’s natural elements from this one field recording. Admittedly this is going to be one of those records that is an acquired taste, even for those that usually listen to experimental and ambient releases. The reason for this is that the overall style is very minimalist, and listeners will really have to turn everything else around them off and give this disc their full attention. But if you’re familiar with any of the previous Zanstones disc or are looking for some interesting natural/minimalist sounds to check out then give this one a go as it is quite captivating.
Reviewed on WONDERFUL WOODEN REASONS
http://wonderfulwoodenreasons.homestead.com/current.html
Recorded in Spain for use in a live performance this recording by Zanstones is an interesting mix of processed field recordings. The out of place familiarity of much of the sounds gives the piece a deliciously uncomfortable surrealism which is spoiled somewhat by the overuse of the rumbling, rolling noise drone that underpins vast swathes of the cd. I can't help but feel that the recording would have benefited massively from allowing the field recordings to dictate the piece rather than the less interesting and muddily recorded rumble. Listenable but flawed.
Reviewed on RUIDO HORRIBLE
http://ruidohorrible.blogspot.com/
“Donostiako Zuloak” es al mismo tiempo un disco perturbador y bello; basado en la manipulación de grabaciones de campo, este cdr reproduce los ambientes encontrados por Zantones en huecos de calles de San Sebastián/Donesti. Estas grabaciones son conjugadas aquí por este artista vasco para forjar una compleja red de creaciones musicales que cuestionan la naturaleza de las grabaciones de campo. Mediante un mínimo de manipulación, Zantones extiende el flujo sonoro de estos muestreos para consolidar un intimidante juego de ambientes grises y ríspidos. Por momentos, se pasean, a través de estos corredores sonoros, fantasmales voces o algún sordo golpeteo, extraños indicadores de la falsedad de una identidad; ¿se trata “Donostiako Zuloak” de ruido vuelto música, o es que acaso Zantones pretende que entendamos este trabajo meramente, como un enjambre de patrones aleatorios de una naturaleza interesante, aunque plenamente lejana a lo musical? Esta ambigüedad es, precisamente, la que hace de éste, un trabajo tan interesante; su falta de justificación, su constitución azarosa hacen que sea un disco que puede ser escuchado en muchas más que una sola manera. (S.S.)
