State of Mind are New Zealand drum and bass producers Patrick Hawkins and Stuart Maxwell. Associated with Auckland, the duo work at the heavier, technical end of the genre, but their albums also make room for deeper grooves and changes of mood.
Alongside their own SOM Music imprint, their catalogue has a close connection with Black Sun Empire and Blackout Music NL. Eat The Rich arrived in 2014; Land of the Blind, released in September 2019, followed a sequence of EPs that introduced parts of the album over the preceding year. Its collaborations with Black Sun Empire sit alongside tracks that draw on techno and more restrained drum and bass.
In a UKF interview, Hawkins explained that the title came from the saying about the one-eyed man in the land of the blind. Studio discussions about politics and misinformation fed into the record, giving its aggression a context beyond the club. The staged release also reflected their interest in changing listening habits: an album could bring previously released and newer music together while still offering a varied, complete experience.
