Portion Control (band)

Infobox musical artist |
Name = Portion Control


Img_capt = Portion Control in 2005.
Background = group_or_band
Alias =
Origin = London, United Kingdom
Genre = Electronic
Industrial
Years_active = 1980–1987
2002–present
Label = Dead Man's Curve, Illuminated Records, In Phaze Records, www.portion-control.net
Associated_acts = Solar Enemy
URL = [http://www.portion-control.net www.portion-control.net]
Current_members = John Whybrew
Dean Piavani (1981–present)
Past_members = Ian Sharp (1980–1987)
Ian Hicks (2002–2006)

Portion Control is a British electronic and industrial band from South London. The band calls its music style "electropunk" or "hard rhythmic electronics". They are one of the most famous obscure electronic music acts in the world and have been honoured and namechecked by the likes of Depeche Mode, Skinny Puppy, Front Line Assembly, Orbital, The Prodigy, and others and copied by many other artists.

History

Portion Control first formed in 1980 and the original incarnation of the group existed until 1987. They released a variety of seminal recordings on a variety of indie labels, some self-produced but mainly on Illuminated Records, as well as Rhythmic Records and Dead Man's Curve. In 1987 Portion Control signed to London Records and promply vanished. They reformed a few years later as Solar Enemy which survived from 1990 to 1993. Portion Control weren't seen again until 2002 when fansite [http://www.319-online.net 319 Online] announced a resumption of activities by the band resulting not long after in a free downloadable software demo featuring graphics, a rare remix of an old track, and samples of new material. Nothing else was released by them, however, until early 2004 with the release of the critically acclaimed double album "Wellcome" (the title inspired by the work of Sir Henry Wellcome).

Since then Portion Control have been highly active with concert and festival appearances as well as multiple releases on a variety of formats.

Discography

Singles

* "Raise The Pulse" (1982)
* "Rough Justice" (1984)
* "Go Talk" (1984)
* "The Great Divide" (1985)
* "Stansted" (2005)

EPs

*"Dining on The Fresh " (1981)
*"Surface and Be Seen " (1982)
*"Hit The Pulse " (1983)
*"Purge " (1986)
*"Stansted " (2005)

Studio albums

* "A Fair Portion" (1980)
* "Gaining Momentum" (1981)
* "With Mixed Emotion" (1982)
* "I Staggered Mentally" (1982)
* "A-MAG" (1983)
* "Step Forward" (1984)
* "Psycho-Bod Saves The World" (1986)
* "Wellcome" (2004)
* "Filthy White Guy" (2006)
* "SLUG" (2008)

Software releases

* "Code 11 " (2003)
* "Dissolve" (2005)

Compilation albums

* "Simulate Sensual" (1983)
* "The Man Who Did Backwards Somersaults" (1994)
* "Archive" (2006)

Live albums

*"Assault " (1986)
*"Live in Europe " (1987)

Session tracks

* "Go Talk"
* "Rough Justice"
* "Scramble"

Recorded for the BBC Radio 1 John Peel show and transmitted in January 1984. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/johnpeel/sessions/1980s/1984/Jan04portioncontrol/ BBC John Peel Sessions - Portion Control] . Retrieved 4 November 2006.]

Associated projects

Notable side projects and related groups include: Solar Enemy, Johnson Engineering Co., Havoc, Deadstock, Mordant Music

Notes

External links

* [http://www.portion-control.net Portion Control Official HQ]
* [http://www.myspace.com/porcon Portion Control Official MySpace Page]
* [http://www.319-online.net Portion Control Fansite]