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Portion Control (band)

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This article is about the electronic band Portion Control. For the effects of serving size in weight management, see Portion control (dieting).
Portion Control
OriginLondon, United Kingdom
GenresEBM, industrial, electropunk
Years active1980–1987
2002–present
LabelsThird Mind, Dead Man's Curve, Illuminated Records, In Phaze Records, www.portion-control.net
MembersJohn Whybrew
Dean Piavani (1981–present)
Past membersIan Sharp (1980–1987)
Ian Hicks (2002–2006)
Websitewww.portion-control.net

Portion Control is a British electronic and industrial band from South London. The band calls its music style electropunk or hard rhythmic electronics. They have been name checked by Depeche Mode, Skinny Puppy, Front Line Assembly, Orbital, The Prodigy, and others. The band pioneered the use of sampling and used, to great effect, the Apple II computer based Greengate DS3 sampling and sequencing system.[1]

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 1984 the band supported Depeche Mode on their UK and European tour. In early 1987 Portion Control joined the management roster of Tom Watkins and signed a record deal with London Records and promptly vanished. In 1990 they changed name to Solar Enemy. After releasing 2 albums, SE broke up in 1993. Portion Control weren't seen again until 2002 when fansite 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 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)

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 by Portion Control|Wellcome (2004)
  • Filthy White Guy (2006)
  • SLUG (2008)
  • Violently Alive (2010)
  • Pure Form (2012)
  • Unrest In The Grime (2014)

Software releases

  • Code 11 (2003)
  • Dissolve (2005)

Compilation albums

  • Simulate Sensual (1983)
  • The Man Who Did Backwards Somersaults (1994)
  • Archive (2006)
  • Crop (2009)

Live albums

  • Assault (1986)
  • Live in Europe (1987)

Session tracks

  • "Go Talk"
  • "Rough Justice"
  • "Scramble"

Recorded for a January 1984 Peel Session show.[2]

  • "The Great Divide"
  • "Taste Of Love"
  • "Cut & Thrust"

Recorded for a June 1985 Janice Long show.

References

  1. ^ "Variegated Menace". Timesquotidian.com. 9 January 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  2. ^ BBC John Peel Sessions - Portion Control. Retrieved 4 November 2006.
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