Portion Control - Surface and Be Seen, insert, plastic

	£		63
	$		83

Portion Control - Surface and Be Seen, 12" 45rpm EP

Tracklist;

1:22  Spinola (Blotch)
     3:28  Terror leads to better Days
     3:36  Simple as A.B.C.
     1:02  Monstrous Bulk
     3:54  He is a Barbarian

ORIGINAL COPY. FIRST UK  PRESSING. Released 1982.  Stereo. In Phaze Records, catalogue number; Por Con 006.

 Superb MINT condition debut release, includes original plastic sleeve with colour text and two inserts....

At the dawn on the eighties, Portion Control sat alone in the middle of a great big hypothetical field. One one side resided the commercialism of electronic exponents such as The Human League, Depeche Mode and Ultravox etc., and on the other side sat underground illusionists such as SPK, My Bloody Valentine, Nurse With Wound and the Legendary Pink Dots. Portion Control either couldn’t decide which way to turn, or weren’t marketed suitably in either direction. However, they’re still fondly remembered as an innovative, experimental electronic group, even if awkwardly lumped in with what one would call the Electronic Body Music / Industrial scene. 

Interview with John Whybrew, founder member from barcodezine.com;

FIntWho were the group’s original influences and what were your objectives when you first started making music? Our principal influences were from the UK punk scene, particularly the Pop Group & Wire along with the symbolism of early Factory & Industrial Records. Our punk grounding meant we often worked within conventional song structures i.e. verses and choruses. We had no set objectives, again like many groups from this period, the music and energy was a way of expressing youself.

In retrospect, were there any artists who were making electronic music that excited or impressed you at the time? Some artists and some albums, namely: Early SPK, Matt Johnson - Burning Blue Soul, Chris and Cosey - Heartbeat, Throbbing Gristle, Der Plan & Pyrolator, Early Eyeless In Gaza.

What originally, and continues to, appeal to you about using electronic instrumentation to produce music? When we started it was at the time when synthesisers and drum machines became affordable. The notion of being a conventional group held no appeal but the sonic possibilities of electronics excited us. At this time, electronics seemed so anti-musical. We were refused Musicians Union Membership before a John Peel session because we claimed, rightly, that none of us could play a conventional instrument.

Today, electronic production has all but taken over. Creating the music is easier in that you no longer have to rely on hooking up analogue gear etc. But it certainly hasn’t seen anything improve.

Why do you think Portion Control were acclaimed critically but did not quite receive the parallel success of your contemporaries? We just rejected the normal conventions of touring releasing albums etc.

I read once that you cooked and gave pancakes out to your audience when you played live, is this true? We did this at NL Centrum Amsterdam around the ‘I Staggered’ days. It was a bit bizarre, but tasty (just a hint of lemon and a little vanilla sugar).

You were signed to London Records in 1997 but nothing was actually released, what happened? We signed a management deal with Tom Watkins, and then a deal with London Records. We recorded a single produced by Arthur Baker. This was just before the whole electronic dance scene exploded. London wanted the intro shortened and it just fell apart. Sadly this put us out of action whilst the legal side of the deal was undone.

This was far from the happiest time although we have a lot of respect for Tom Watkins and Arthur Baker.

Very few people are aware that Portion Control morphed into Solar Enemy in the early nineties, is this project still alive and what did it represent at the time? We felt compelled to create, and so Solar Enemy was created. Portion Control was still being cleared from the legal restrictions imposed by the deals mentioned above. The project is finished and we are now concentrating on Portion Control.

Have you been frustrated by your relative lack of success over the years, in that you have been unable to communicate your ideas to a bigger audience? In some ways I would say that is has been frustrating, our work for Illuminated generated healthy sales but this was abruptly halted by the whole London Records thing. It was interesting that the Canadian & US acts took elements of ‘Industrial’ and fused them with Metal and even Goth influences, creating pretty powerful acts, but this just isn’t our style. In many respects, our dislike of the music industry and its conventions hold us back, but we create the output that stays true to our mission and hope that enough people understand it. Commercial success has never been an important driving force.

Portion Control do appear to have been lumped in with all the other EBM / Industrial acts over the past 20 years or so, did you ever see yourself as part of this genre/scene? EBM is a pretty new phrase to me! and doesn’t define Portion Control. I think we borrow from the Industrial scene but, to us, Industrial is Throbbing Gristle, NON, SPK and that’s about it. I suppose we borrow elements from all the electronic genres.

We liked the ‘Wild Planet’ idea Dave Henderson first muted along with ‘difficult music’ We are opposed to the whole genre/category idea and it seems more embedded now than ever - probably due to the Internet.

You were quite influential to a variety of underground acts, including Skinny Puppy & Front Line Assembly, are these artists you know of and respect? Of Course! I have great respect for both Skinny Puppy & FLA. Both have had a huge output and are full of enthusiasm and influence.

Overall Sleeve Condition : MINT

There are very light rubs to the plastic sleeve, otherwise perfect, as are the two inserts. 

Vinyl Condition, Visual: MINT

Kept in stunning condition by the previous owner.  

Vinyl Condition, Audible: MINT

No skips, no jumps, no static crackle, no dust crackles, no sign of  any play, no wear. Plays superbly.  Well preserved and cared for, no decrease from the original sound quality. Kept in stunning condition by the previous owner.  

Label Condition : MINT

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    Our accurate condition gradings are based on those used in the UK 2006 Record Collector Rare Record Price Guide. Please see below for a complete explanation.

This record is deleted and not available new on vinyl and these tracks are not available on CD.

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