I first met the State of Mind boys when they were first breaking onto the scene back in 2005 - since then they have put out over 20 singles on a variety of labels and have enjoyed success locally and internationally. Recently I got the chance to corner Patrick Hawkins, one half of the duo (Stu Maxwell being the other), and ask him some questions on their upcoming NZ tour and their label. Read on.... 

- First off, are you guys excited about the tour?

• Definitely! Chris, Jade & Tiki are guys we really rate as musicians and people, so touring around NZ together should be a laugh. I think all the parties should be sick!

-    Chris.Su is a bad man on the decks, and most people know what to expect from him, what is there to know about Jade?

• I would say, a lot of Hungarian beats! He is more focused on the tech side of drum and bass, so expect to hear a range of fresh cuts from that side of the spectrum. He has been working really hard in the studio as of late, so you can also expect a whole new catalogue of Jade beats.

 
-    Let’s talk about the SOM label. What reasons were there for creating and running your own label?

• A lot of labels never pay you…. But seriously… a lot of labels never pay you… But aside from that, it was something we always wanted to do/ had in mind from the first time we started writing tunes. I think a lot of producers have that goal. It gives you the ability to release tunes that other labels may not be willing to take the risk on. Therefore giving you the ability to be more creative in the studio, without fearing the tune may never see the light of day after completion.   

-    Its early days yet, but have you found the jump from producers to label owners a big one?

• So far it’s been pretty smooth sailing (touch wood). It’s just meant we have had to organize ourselves a little better. Before, we would simply send the finished tune to the labels and they would take care of everything. Now it’s our job to organize mastering, cover art, promotion/ advertising, accounting etc… but they are all jobs that are pretty interesting and it’s cool to watch the process behind making a record.

-    What’s in store for the label for the rest of 2008 and into the new year?

• The next 2 releases will be our samplers from our forthcoming album “Faster than Light”, which should be in August/ Sept. After that there will be the full release of the album on Double CD. Later in the year/ early next year, we will be releasing more tunes by ourselves as well as other artists such as Spinline, Sigma & Dose.

 
 - What can we expect from this album that’s different from 'Take Control'?

•  This album goes deeper than Take Control ever did I guess. It also goes heavier as well. There has also been a lot more focus on laying this whole album out from start to finish. We never really had that luxury with ‘Take Control’, because it was basically a collection of singles and it sounded like a scattered piece of work to us. This album should sound more unified in our opinion, as all the tunes were made with the album in mind. This album will also be a double cd, with the second cd containing club edits and remixes by some of our favorite artists.

-    Who's been the craziest/most fun producer to collaborate with?

• Well most of the drum and bass producers aren’t actually that crazy in the studio to be honest. They are all straight down to ‘bidness’. We have got pretty mangled with some producers in the studio, but that usually leads to nothing special music wise, however on the odd occasion the opposite is true =). I did once work with Harold from Hallelujah Picasso’s, and he is by far and away the craziest guy I have ever worked with. Let’s just say the beat was fairly abstract…

 
-    You haven't released too many remixes - is this a conscious decision or just something that has occurred?

• We have been asked to do a fair number and have completed maybe 6. We usually flag the project if we don’t feel we add anything to the original. We aren’t that big on remixes for the sake of remixes… unless they either do justice to original or are cool in there own way. We have been given some dope tunes to remix like “Shadow Boxing”, “Elm Street” and “West Side Story” but decided we couldn’t do anything better to them, so they were never finished.

 
 - Are there any tunes you are dying to remix?

• Maybe “Learning Curve” by Klute…but only if we could do justice to the original.

-    In terms of DJing, as a duo, do you guys get to play out/tour together very often?

• Yeah we do all the time. We tour Europe once a year together. Most of the gigs throughout Europe are usually separate, but during the weeks we meet up in different cities and raid other producers houses. Nz & OZ we often tour together but it really depends on the promoter/ city involved.

 - What have your experiences DJing overseas been like, have you been well received?

• Yeah the overseas gigs have been as wicked. A lot of the venues throughout Europe hold bigger crowds and most of the events have been sick.

 
-    Having played both overseas and within New Zealand plenty of times, what would you say are the major differences in the clubs?

• New Zealand crowds are definitely a lot more vocal. We really do have the most fun crowds to play too down here. That’s the reason so many international DJ’s cite NZ as their favorite place to play.

-    When not producing, DJing or running a label, what do you guys do for fun?

• Golf. Not listen to Drum and Bass. Play the skin flute.

-    Who’s the better golfer?

• Disco has the slightly better handicap on paper.

 
 - Do you prefer
 

Vegemite or Marmite

• Vegemite

Cubase or Logic

• Cubase

Blonde or Brunette

• Both

Ortofon or Shures

• Shures

Two 10s or Suited Jack/Queen

• Pocket 10’s

You can catch State of Mind, alongside Chris.Su, Jade and Tiki in July

18th July - Auckland
19th July - Christchurch
25th July - Wellington
26th July - Dunedin

See the events page for more details