State of Mind

State of Mind are Auckland drum and bass producers Stu Maxwell and Patrick Hawkins, who formed the duo in 2002. Their track “Sunking” was signed to Total Science’s CIA Recordings before appearing on their debut album, Take Control. They later established SOM Music, a label they own and use to support artists including New Zealand producers Dose, Borderline and Trei, as well as Hungarian artist Chris.SU. Their 2005 single “Sunking / Human Torch” also came out through Computer Integrated Audio.

State of Mind released Faster Than Light through SOM Music, with guest appearances from New Zealand artists PNC and Tiki Taane. Their single “Return Of The Prophet”, featuring PNC, appeared on the album Nil By Ear. The duo have also put music out through Blackout, Eatbrain, Uprising, Shogun Audio, Subtitles and CIA Recordings. Their 2014 album Eat the Rich, released on Blackout Music NL, won Best Album at the International Drum and Bass Awards.

The duo’s later albums include Land of the Blind, released on Blackout Music in 2019, which was a finalist for the Drum & Bass Arena Awards album award. State of Mind released “Love & Migration (State Of Mind Remix)” through Fokuz Recordings in 2019 and “Cenotaph” through C4C Recordings in 2022. In 2023, they released “The Burning (Liveon Remix)” with Chris.SU and Liveon through FATE Recordings. Their 2024 releases included “Red Sky”, a single with Coppa, through Eatbrain, and “Consume The Power”, made with Neonlight, on Blackout Music NL.

State of Mind host the biweekly “Next Level” radio show on 95BFM in New Zealand. In 2025, the duo played at The Mothership in Auckland, Addington Raceway in Christchurch and The London in Queenstown. Later that year, they performed at TivoliVredenburg and Le Bikini.