Auckland drum and bass duo State of Mind are no strangers to collaboration, having worked with the likes of Tiki Taane and PNC to craft some big hitting tracks that achieved a lot of airplay. This time round they’re working with the trio from Black Sun Empire, hailing out of the Netherlands, produce the heavy hitting Until The World Ends EP together.
This isn’t the first time the five of them have worked together, but it is the first (to my knowledge) collection of songs together. And it’s a collection, albeit a small one, that works. The six songs, or five songs and an alternate version of one of them, all work well, and are good examples of what drum and bass should do – that is, make you want to move.
Opening track Until The World Ends, which also features regular State of Mind collaborator PNC, is a great start, with PNC’s vocals really contributing to the strength of the track. Jack Nicholson is also another stand out, halfway through the EP, and is a really driving piece of drum and bass.
The EP closes with an alternative version of Ego from earlier in the EP, turning it from a straightforward track into one with a lot more atmosphere and space and giving it a darker edge. I preferred it to the earlier version, and thought it was a good way to close out the six tracks.
Founded in 2004, State of Mind is the Drum and Bass duo from New Zealand of Patrick Hawkins and Stu Maxwell
Initially signed to Total Science's CIA label in 2004, the State of Mind discography has rapidly expanded to include labels such as, Teebee's Subtitles Records, Futurebounds Viper label, Doc Scotts 31 Records, Simon Bassline Smiths Technique Recordings, Bad Company, Obsessions, and more.
In 2007 the lads launched their own record label, SOM Music.