Artist profile · Drum & bass
State of Mind
Deep in the music.
Closer to the artist.
State of Mind are New Zealand duo Patrick Hawkins and Stuart Maxwell, connecting detailed drum and bass production, SOM Music, and the album Land of the Blind.
Behind the music
About State of Mind.
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.
Artist styles
Source-reviewed associations with parts of this artist’s work. Individual releases may differ.
Neurofunk
High confidence · The duo’s primary neurofunk identity at the time of Land of the Blind (2019), non-exclusive.