Rhian Sheehan - Inspiring New Zealand

At 35, Rhian already has an impressive list of achievements to his name. His distinct brand of atmospheric, ethereal electronica has featured on numerous television shows (including BBC’s Top Gear), nature documentaries, commercials and films worldwide.

He also scored the music for Prime television series The Cult, has released three full-length studio albums, and recently co-ordinated a live multimedia performance of his latest album, Standing in Silence.

While he clearly makes music with worldwide appeal, the influence of New Zealand is hard to miss. His songs evoke imagery of lush and lonely landscapes: glacial lakes, dreamy grey skies and dense native bush.

This could be because New Zealand features, quite literally, in his songs.

“I’m a composer, but I’m also a field recordist,” explains Rhian from his sun-drenched deck in Miramar, Wellington.

Wherever I go I’m recording environments and sounds, and the New Zealand landscape is featured in all of my albums.

“Without wanting to sound too ‘new age,’ I take elements like wind and rain and manipulate them and put them into the music subtly, so that it takes the listener on a bit of a journey. So, yeah, the land and the sound of New Zealand has been a big influence on my work.”

He recorded bustling metropolises in Japan and India for Standing in Silence, and then came back to New Zealand to record areas where there were hardly any sounds at all. “Going away from New Zealand and then coming back is inspiring. It’s those contrasts between here and other countries that make you realise what we have and what we don’t have.”

He cites isolation as a key influence in his work – and New Zealand certainly has plenty of that. “Living in a small country so physically isolated from the rest of the world allows me to reflect and ponder my experiences.

“Returning home after spending time overseas triggers something emotionally within me, and is hugely inspiring in my work. This is literally how I write music; it’s part of my process.”