New Zealand drum & bass duo State Of Mind features the enduring talents of Stu Maxwell and Patrick Hawkins, and will be coming to Earth Frequency Festival (SE QLD) this weekend.
Although they released their last album 'Eat The Rich' in 2014, State Of Mind have maintained consistent creative output via their own label SOM Music. We caught up with Stu for a quick chat before they hit EFF.
Your last album 'Eat The Rich' came out in 2014; what's been happening for you guys since?
[Stu] Yeah it did. Mid 2014. Seems like quite a while ago, huh? Well in that time, I promise you we've been busy. We released two EPs on Eatbrain Records, two six-track EPs with Dutch legends Black Sun Empire on Blackout Records, did remixes for a few different acts, produced tracks for a couple of vocalists.
We even found the time to tour around the world every year. To top that off, we also moved studios. Turns out that's actually quite an ordeal.
Any new material on the way?
Hell yeah. We have an album planned for 2018 on Blackout. I don't want to give much away, but it's going to be released in stages, with part one being not too far off.
On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your 2017?
I dunno. Eight. We try to be positive.
Are there any highlights worth mentioning?
Probably the two American tours, including one around Halloween. That's always fun to go over there.
How are you two feeling about playing at Earth Frequency Festival?
We are looking forward to it. Not sure about the heat though. You Aussies are nuts.
What's in-store for your EFF performance?
It's gonna be grimey and loud.
Will your mate MC Woody be in attendance?
Probably not, sorry.
Did you know there's a Belgium boy band also called State Of Mind?
We do. Occasionally we look on their Facebook page. There are usually fans of ours saying: 'What the f#$% is this sh*t'. I think they formed in the last few years too, which makes it even more ridiculous.
I mean, surely when you form a band nowadays you say 'hey let's Google that name and see if anyone is using it, let's look on Spotify'. When we formed, I don't even think we had dial-up internet in our flat.
But now music is so global and so easily accessible with streaming you have to check. There really isn't any excuse, right?
What's the latest news out of your label, SOM Music? Any new talent we should keep our ears open for?
The label isn't active right now. We are signed to Blackout and that severely restricts what we can release on SOM. We decided to put it into hibernation for a while and see how things pan out.
In terms of production, what do each of you bring to the music State Of Mind creates?
We both do everything. There isn't any set role. That being said we both have strengths and weakness in different areas. Pat likes drum programming more than I do. I enjoy coming up with hooks and the mixing process more than him.
What's still left for State Of Mind to achieve?
I'm not sure really. We don't really approach our music like that. We never have. We just do what we do and aim to enjoy it.
