4 Dec 2016

 A vast silence - Warren Maxwell in Antarctic 

From Standing Room Only, 12:15 pm on 4 December 2016

Wairarapa based singer-songwriter Warren Maxwell says his recent trip to Antarctica has changed him and his music. 

He recorded everything from footsteps to seals while on the ice, and now wants to use those sounds to encourage the next generation of musicians.

Maxwell writes songs and performs in a number of high-profile bands including Trinity Roots and The Little Bushmen, and he told Standing Room Only that what stuck him in Antarctica was the silence.

"It is so peaceful, oh my god, you know, because we are surrounded by noise constantly, even at nighttime. It is breathtaking.

"It is just such a beautiful beautiful beautiful place."

He says he has always loved to use the full range of dynamics in his music, and the trip has added to his musical palate.

"I love the pin-drop feeling, but then the full noise the ears bleeding, that palate of colour. So going to Antarctica has enabled me to realise we can go even further with those now, in terms of silence."