State of Mind is a New Zealand drum and bass duo formed in 2002 by Patrick Hawkins and Stuart Maxwell in Auckland, with Patrick Hawkins primarily handling production and Stuart Maxwell contributing as a vocalist and DJ. Their early work appeared on several independent labels, including Teebee's Subtitles Recordings and DJ Friction's Shogun Audio, and their debut single "Sunking" gained traction on the New Zealand club scene, leading to a contract with Uprising Records. In 2006, they released their first studio album, Take Control, which featured "Sunking" and earned a nomination for Best Electronic Album at the New Zealand Music Awards; the same year they shared the Electronic Single of the Year award with Concord Dawn for "Aces High" at the bNet Awards. They followed with Faster Than Light in 2009 on their own SOM Music label, collaborating with New Zealand artists PNC and Tiki Taane, and Nil By Ear in 2011, which included the single "Return Of The Prophet" featuring PNC. Their 2014 release Eat the Rich on Blackout Music marked a shift toward a harder neurofunk sound and won the UK Drum and Bass Arena Award for Best Album that year, while the 2019 album Land of the Blind was nominated for Best Electronic Artist at the New Zealand Music Awards. Throughout their career, State of Mind has maintained a presence on international stages and contributed to the revival of neurofunk within the drum and bass genre.
