Zan Hoffman has spent more than four decades building a deeply personal archive—one that captures the spirit, sound, and story of underground cassette culture. It’s not just a collection of tapes. It’s a living document of an era when music traveled by mail, wrapped in Xeroxed inserts and sealed with intent. And now, with our help, that archive is going places—literally.
Zan has launched a GoFundMe to support the archive’s journey to Spain where a selection of his vast collection will eventually be exhibited. What’s being planned isn’t just a display—it’s a meeting of cultures and memories. A bridge built from hiss, hum, and handmade art.
For those who know the name, Zan Hoffman has been a constant force in mail-art, sound experimentation, and global cassette networking since the early ’80s. His ZH27 label alone has produced hundreds of releases—many of them collaborations with artists from around the world, often trading tapes by post and discovering whole scenes through correspondence. His work represents not only his own prolific output but the web of community that connected so many of us in those pre-internet decades.
This is an effort to showcase tapes—it’s an act of preservation and reconnection. It ensures that the spirit of cassette culture continues to move, speak, and breathe in new places. And it honors the labor of someone who’s never stopped documenting, never stopped listening.
If you’ve ever mailed a tape to someone hoping to be heard… if you’ve ever received a padded envelope with stamps from across the globe… if you’ve ever been part of this scene, then you already know: Zan’s archive is part of your story too.
Support the campaign if you can. Spread the word if you can’t. Let’s help the archive move forward.
