Interview with Portion Control
Reads: 5590 times
Artist:
Galleries:
- Wave Gotik Treffen 2016 - 2016-06-24 (Festivals)
- Portion Control + Synapscape - 2013-04-23 (Concerts)
- Wrocław Industrial Festival 2012 - 2012-11-14 (Festivals)
- Schlagstrom! Festival - 2010-10-07 (Festivals)
CDs catalogue:
- Portion Control - Unrest in the Grime Vinyl + CD
- Portion Control - Pure Form CD
- Portion Control - Violently Alive CD Digipak
- Portion Control - Crop 2CD Digipak
- Portion Control - Archive Limited 5CD Box Set
- Portion Control - Slug CD Digipak
- Portion Control - Slug Limited CD Digipak
- Portion Control - Onion Jack IV Album
- Portion Control - Filthy White Guy CD
- Portion Control - Stansted EP
- Portion Control - Wellcome 2CD Limited Edition
- Portion Control - Live In Europe 10''Vinyl
- Portion Control - Psycho-Bod Saves The World Vinyl
- Portion Control - Rough Justice 12''EP
- Portion Control - Step Forward Vinyl
- Portion Control - Go-Talk 12''EP
- Portion Control - Hit The Pulse 12''Vinyl MiniAlbum
- Portion Control - Raise The Pulse 12''EP
- Portion Control - Surface And Be Seen 12''Vinyl
- Portion Control - I Staggered Mentally Album
Hi and many thanks for taking some time to answer some of our questions. Portion Control has been around for nearly three decades. Over time and in music history, many different genres came into life and everything became more diverse. What we are keen to know is: What kind of music inspired YOU back in the 80s to create Portion Control?
PC: Our motivation to start portion control was growing up in the UK through the Punk scene. At the end of Punk the independent music scene became more diverse, incorporating early electronics. This style seemed to offer an alternative to the established conventional guitar music.
Can you explain how Punk is a noticable part in your music? How can you define Portion Control?
PC: punk had an energy and a non conformist attitude to music - these principals led us to form portion control and shape our music. darker tones have followed us and still pervade our music and vocals
EBM is a style you never wanted to identify yourselves with. What are the reasons for that?
PC: The term EBM is a narrow constraint to describe minimal rhythms and bass lines with aggressive vocals. We accept that our music can follow ebm patterns but we have always tried to diversify our sound. the terms for our form of music have changed over the years as have the bands that have influenced the scene and the genre classifications. in our minds we create music which borrows elements of techno, electro, dub and old school industrial we prefer the desriptor: uncompromising electronic music
How would you, as influential artist, think does the industrial/electronic scene develop in the last years?
PC: Unfortunately I think the darker edged electronic scene has lost a lot of innovation over the years and leaned heavily towards trance and pop. it also seems a lot of copycat bands exist. naturally with diminishing sales it is hard for risk takers but these individuals have been the excitement in music for us over the years
You have been around for a long time. What progress can you name that you have made from the past until now?
PC: I guess the single biggest thing is an appreciation of sounds and synthesis. we have never considered ourselves musicians preferring to write with a mouse than a keyboard. grappling with early synthesisers and samples has put us in a good position to appreciate the new technology which, whilst sonically far superior, shares the same basic building blocks
How do you feel working with the new technology and "new sound engines"?
PC: our passion with portion control has always been for the new, so taking on new technology is a challenge we have always relished. resisting technological advances is pretty pointless as they eventually overcome you. this is the case with the software vs hardware debate, eventually software with entice all but the most dedicated hardware enthusiasts. when we started many synths never had presets todays software comes loaded with sounds laughingly categorised by genre! amongst other things. ROMplers offer you thousands of samples and exotic evolving patches... yet we invariably start with a couple of detuned saw waves.... modern technology offers so much yet the quality of music is no better for it
Most of the new "young" music projects only use software and virtual instruments. What do you think is your advantage to work with the new technology using the experience of the past and the use of real instruments?
PC: there is a huge advantage in working software only, at least at the writing and recording stages. naturally it is now possible to prepare your material at home where we used to spend a fortune on recording studios, mind you, sales were significantly better then to compensate. the advantages of total recall compared to the days of patch sheets that had to be filled in by hand as well as drift free synthesis remind me that I would never want to return to the earlier days. we used to spend hours eq’ing a single bass drum now we spend hours auditioning 500 different ones.
Internet made huge steps and is continuously developing. It became a necessary medium nowadays. How do you use the internet to present your music and what is your feeling about it?
PC: the internet has been vital in allowing people to discover our music as well as others from the beginnings of the scene. everything is traceable via the internet so nobody really has any advantage of disadvantage. it’s just as important to music as it is to any other part of life. for our music we like to develop distinct microsites for each release - our releases are quite distinct and these allow us to present the atmosphere and audio on a project by project basis
Internet goes hand in hand with some negative aspects, too. Illegal downloads are one of it. What do you think about that problem?
PC: The crash of the music scene has effected everyone and it’s still not clear how music will look in the future, however there are still plenty of new bands and it hasn’t stopped music being produced. my biggest fear is for independent music... we have never considered portion control as a profitable concern. it just has to fund our obsession with new software and future projects
Can you explain the meaning behind the band name? Where did "Portion Control" come from and what does it mean?
PC: we met and formed portion control whilst at westminster college in london as chef students. the term portion control was continuously taught to us more in terms of ensuring profit than for health benefits although today that has reversed!
In your opinion, what has led to the initial problems to get acceptance in the scene and beyond?
PC: I suppose on reflection our music is quite challenging as it doesn't seem to fit any pigeonhole nor do we follow the usual CD, tour routine. we have also quietly self-released our newer projects and only since working with sigsaly have we made any attempt at promotion
In the beginning of the 90s there has been the project Solar Enemy. What can you tell us about it? What are the differences between Portion Control and Solar Enemy?
PC: Solar Enemy was started when we broke away from our dealings with major labels and management. for a period we couldn't release anything under the name portion control. solar enemy was less demanding than portion control but lacked identity and purpose.
I am pretty sure you have influenced more than a few bands and their musical career. What do you think who you had the biggest impact on?
PC: difficult for us to judge, but Daniel Miller and depeche mode, as well as the early canadian scene with skinny puppy and front line assembly seem to be the most cited examples
What do you feel when you see musicians or a whole generation of musicians to be influenced by your work?
PC: when you have been around for a long time it is inevitable that you effect and influence others in the same way that we were influenced by groups in our formative years
There had been an creative break in your career. What did you do inbetween and what what were the reasons for it?
PC: the break came as we were disillusioned with music. we had experienced a bad time with London records and lost a lot of momentum from our in-phase/illuminated days, sold our hardware and just drifted apart, although during this period I followed the development of the major DAW’s and software developments
You have reunited in 2004, what was the reason for it?
PC: the technology reached a point where we could return working from laptops apart yet sharing ideas remotely. our aim had always been to create dynamic hard edged sounds and soft synthesis in 2004 was really beginning to be a viable alternative. I met dean at the british library henry wellcome exhibition where we agreed to re-activate portion control - and begin working on an ambitious project, mixing our regular song structures with long evolving more experimental pieces. wellcome became our first release a double CD with over 135 minutes of new material. I still get emails from listeners who refuse to believe wellcome was a software only project
And how did media and fans react on the news about the reunion?
PC: we never publicised our return just quietly made available, for download. a software sampler called ‘code 11’ followed by the wellcome CD it was well reviewed and we received a number of emails from people who new us from the early days as well as people who had heard of us in the context of the industrial scene
Five years later your release your latest work "Crop". What does the title stand for?
PC: we applied the term crop as in graphic design to our more recent catalogue of works. the tracks represent a good sample from each of the releases from 2004-2008. It is also the closing of the first phase since we re-activated and will allow us to further refine our sound for the next release. this project is already well underway and will contain our most accessible sound to date... whist retaining a progressive edge...
You have signed to the label Sigsaly Transmissions. Is there any specific reason or interesting story behind it?
PC: having self released our new material we felt we had taken things are far as we could - marc at sigsaly expressed and interest and so we began planning CROP and beyond "Crop" is a double-CD digipak. There are reworked tracks from the years 2004-2008 as well as new material.
"Crop" is a very diverse album which is not only a retrospective view, it incorporates the present as well as it marks the putative milestones for the future. Do you think to yourselves that you are always one step ahead of time?
PC: like any artist we evolve and take on influences from around us’ part of our sound is modern and part resolutely old school, it’s this blending that is important to our sound
Today, complex soundscapes and tracks as very hard to sell. Listeners (at least in Germany) are more into simple straight tracks. What do you think could change that narrowmindedness?
PC: I totally agree with your comments. and I don’t think it’s just Germany I think it is everywhere. music has to keep evolving but it is a difficult balance to challenging the listener without isolating them.
After your reunion you have been playing some live performances, how does the audience receive you these days?
PC: we have refined our set for best impact, we use laptops and digital mixing desks to mix the audio and trigger the visuals with dean providing vocals. we have appeared at a number of festivals and smaller clubs - this is a part of portion control we have always looked forward to
What about the Portion Control future? Next year there will be the 30th anniversary. Will you celebrate that or will you even release something special for the fans?
PC: Next year sees a vinyl boxed set released by vinyl on demand as well as a new CD - hopefully also some live outings. it’s not our style to celebrate.
Many thanks for the interview and we wish you much success for the future and hope to hear some new tunes very soon!
Other articles:
PC: Our motivation to start portion control was growing up in the UK through the Punk scene. At the end of Punk the independent music scene became more diverse, incorporating early electronics. This style seemed to offer an alternative to the established conventional guitar music.
Can you explain how Punk is a noticable part in your music? How can you define Portion Control?
PC: punk had an energy and a non conformist attitude to music - these principals led us to form portion control and shape our music. darker tones have followed us and still pervade our music and vocals
EBM is a style you never wanted to identify yourselves with. What are the reasons for that?
PC: The term EBM is a narrow constraint to describe minimal rhythms and bass lines with aggressive vocals. We accept that our music can follow ebm patterns but we have always tried to diversify our sound. the terms for our form of music have changed over the years as have the bands that have influenced the scene and the genre classifications. in our minds we create music which borrows elements of techno, electro, dub and old school industrial we prefer the desriptor: uncompromising electronic music
How would you, as influential artist, think does the industrial/electronic scene develop in the last years?
PC: Unfortunately I think the darker edged electronic scene has lost a lot of innovation over the years and leaned heavily towards trance and pop. it also seems a lot of copycat bands exist. naturally with diminishing sales it is hard for risk takers but these individuals have been the excitement in music for us over the years
You have been around for a long time. What progress can you name that you have made from the past until now?
PC: I guess the single biggest thing is an appreciation of sounds and synthesis. we have never considered ourselves musicians preferring to write with a mouse than a keyboard. grappling with early synthesisers and samples has put us in a good position to appreciate the new technology which, whilst sonically far superior, shares the same basic building blocks
How do you feel working with the new technology and "new sound engines"?
PC: our passion with portion control has always been for the new, so taking on new technology is a challenge we have always relished. resisting technological advances is pretty pointless as they eventually overcome you. this is the case with the software vs hardware debate, eventually software with entice all but the most dedicated hardware enthusiasts. when we started many synths never had presets todays software comes loaded with sounds laughingly categorised by genre! amongst other things. ROMplers offer you thousands of samples and exotic evolving patches... yet we invariably start with a couple of detuned saw waves.... modern technology offers so much yet the quality of music is no better for it
Most of the new "young" music projects only use software and virtual instruments. What do you think is your advantage to work with the new technology using the experience of the past and the use of real instruments?
PC: there is a huge advantage in working software only, at least at the writing and recording stages. naturally it is now possible to prepare your material at home where we used to spend a fortune on recording studios, mind you, sales were significantly better then to compensate. the advantages of total recall compared to the days of patch sheets that had to be filled in by hand as well as drift free synthesis remind me that I would never want to return to the earlier days. we used to spend hours eq’ing a single bass drum now we spend hours auditioning 500 different ones.
Internet made huge steps and is continuously developing. It became a necessary medium nowadays. How do you use the internet to present your music and what is your feeling about it?
PC: the internet has been vital in allowing people to discover our music as well as others from the beginnings of the scene. everything is traceable via the internet so nobody really has any advantage of disadvantage. it’s just as important to music as it is to any other part of life. for our music we like to develop distinct microsites for each release - our releases are quite distinct and these allow us to present the atmosphere and audio on a project by project basis
Internet goes hand in hand with some negative aspects, too. Illegal downloads are one of it. What do you think about that problem?
PC: The crash of the music scene has effected everyone and it’s still not clear how music will look in the future, however there are still plenty of new bands and it hasn’t stopped music being produced. my biggest fear is for independent music... we have never considered portion control as a profitable concern. it just has to fund our obsession with new software and future projects
Can you explain the meaning behind the band name? Where did "Portion Control" come from and what does it mean?
PC: we met and formed portion control whilst at westminster college in london as chef students. the term portion control was continuously taught to us more in terms of ensuring profit than for health benefits although today that has reversed!
In your opinion, what has led to the initial problems to get acceptance in the scene and beyond?
PC: I suppose on reflection our music is quite challenging as it doesn't seem to fit any pigeonhole nor do we follow the usual CD, tour routine. we have also quietly self-released our newer projects and only since working with sigsaly have we made any attempt at promotion
In the beginning of the 90s there has been the project Solar Enemy. What can you tell us about it? What are the differences between Portion Control and Solar Enemy?
PC: Solar Enemy was started when we broke away from our dealings with major labels and management. for a period we couldn't release anything under the name portion control. solar enemy was less demanding than portion control but lacked identity and purpose.
I am pretty sure you have influenced more than a few bands and their musical career. What do you think who you had the biggest impact on?
PC: difficult for us to judge, but Daniel Miller and depeche mode, as well as the early canadian scene with skinny puppy and front line assembly seem to be the most cited examples
What do you feel when you see musicians or a whole generation of musicians to be influenced by your work?
PC: when you have been around for a long time it is inevitable that you effect and influence others in the same way that we were influenced by groups in our formative years
There had been an creative break in your career. What did you do inbetween and what what were the reasons for it?
PC: the break came as we were disillusioned with music. we had experienced a bad time with London records and lost a lot of momentum from our in-phase/illuminated days, sold our hardware and just drifted apart, although during this period I followed the development of the major DAW’s and software developments
You have reunited in 2004, what was the reason for it?
PC: the technology reached a point where we could return working from laptops apart yet sharing ideas remotely. our aim had always been to create dynamic hard edged sounds and soft synthesis in 2004 was really beginning to be a viable alternative. I met dean at the british library henry wellcome exhibition where we agreed to re-activate portion control - and begin working on an ambitious project, mixing our regular song structures with long evolving more experimental pieces. wellcome became our first release a double CD with over 135 minutes of new material. I still get emails from listeners who refuse to believe wellcome was a software only project
And how did media and fans react on the news about the reunion?
PC: we never publicised our return just quietly made available, for download. a software sampler called ‘code 11’ followed by the wellcome CD it was well reviewed and we received a number of emails from people who new us from the early days as well as people who had heard of us in the context of the industrial scene
Five years later your release your latest work "Crop". What does the title stand for?
PC: we applied the term crop as in graphic design to our more recent catalogue of works. the tracks represent a good sample from each of the releases from 2004-2008. It is also the closing of the first phase since we re-activated and will allow us to further refine our sound for the next release. this project is already well underway and will contain our most accessible sound to date... whist retaining a progressive edge...
You have signed to the label Sigsaly Transmissions. Is there any specific reason or interesting story behind it?
PC: having self released our new material we felt we had taken things are far as we could - marc at sigsaly expressed and interest and so we began planning CROP and beyond "Crop" is a double-CD digipak. There are reworked tracks from the years 2004-2008 as well as new material.
"Crop" is a very diverse album which is not only a retrospective view, it incorporates the present as well as it marks the putative milestones for the future. Do you think to yourselves that you are always one step ahead of time?
PC: like any artist we evolve and take on influences from around us’ part of our sound is modern and part resolutely old school, it’s this blending that is important to our sound
Today, complex soundscapes and tracks as very hard to sell. Listeners (at least in Germany) are more into simple straight tracks. What do you think could change that narrowmindedness?
PC: I totally agree with your comments. and I don’t think it’s just Germany I think it is everywhere. music has to keep evolving but it is a difficult balance to challenging the listener without isolating them.
After your reunion you have been playing some live performances, how does the audience receive you these days?
PC: we have refined our set for best impact, we use laptops and digital mixing desks to mix the audio and trigger the visuals with dean providing vocals. we have appeared at a number of festivals and smaller clubs - this is a part of portion control we have always looked forward to
What about the Portion Control future? Next year there will be the 30th anniversary. Will you celebrate that or will you even release something special for the fans?
PC: Next year sees a vinyl boxed set released by vinyl on demand as well as a new CD - hopefully also some live outings. it’s not our style to celebrate.
Many thanks for the interview and we wish you much success for the future and hope to hear some new tunes very soon!
Other articles:
- Wrocław Industrial Festival 2012 - 2013-01-22 (Live reports)
