PORTION CONTROL Once, in 1984, they toured with Depeche Mode and since then they are regularlymentioned as a source of inspiration by other legendary bands in the genre such as Front 242 and Skinny Puppy. Portion Control proves like no other that one does not necessarily have to become corny and dull during maturing because after more than 40 (forty!) active years this British electro combo is still going strong! Soon (22.02.2025) they will (rightly) headline Bodybeats' yearly 'International EBM day' festival, so it's time for a chat and update! Portion Control has been credited as an influential force in electronic and industrial music since the 1980s. Looking back, how do you feel your sound has evolved over the decades, and how do you view your legacy within the genre? John Whybrew: Our sound has become confident, tighter and more defined. We still gravitate towards a punk aesthetic and the anger certainly hasn’t diminished. We have always been fascinated by the edgier, darker forlorn of England and it stains our music inspiration. I would also include the John Peel show. I’d listen and record, onto cassette, anything remotely electronic or avant garde and swap mix tapes at college. Dean: Initially, when the genre was in its infancy, we were not really aware of what was going on with the other emerging bands. Our main influence was the new, affordable technology that suddenly appeared coupled with naive enthusiasm and a 'punk/do-ityourself ethic'. Before 1980 I only really knew Throbbing Gristle and Cabaret Voltaire that were doing anything interesting with electronics. That said, there was always the desire to search out new sounds. I spent hours in Rough Trade records looking for anything 'weird'. Also we knew Ed Ka-Spel (Legendary Pink dots) who had an amazing collection of vinyl which we regularly rifled through. In 1984 you supported Depeche Mode on their UK tour. Do you have any (fun) recollections from that tour experience? John:: We took international soccer on a Commodore 64 (I think) and organised a big knockout tournament Living in England every decade has been a mixture of depression, detritus, dark humour and grey, it’s hard to be honest and not reflect this.. and visuals. We’re trying to blend shitty simple atonal with a clubbier or darker outcome. As to legacy we again owe a lot to our punk (attitude). We were simply drawn into a post punk, industrial scene and stuck to our guns. Dean Paviani: I've never really worked out the 'evolving' thing as I don't tend to look back and analyse. Every release is a fresh start. Instinctively we know how we want to sound and technically we are more competent but that's it. I'm definitely far more cynical and harbor more anger with the world and I think this is reflected in our sound, though I must add on a personal level I'm very happy. As for legacy I'm proud of what we've done, but I'll let the fans decide. Your music has inspired many well-known artists, including Front 242 and Skinny Puppy.Who were your key influencers when you first started, and how have your inspirations changed over time? John: We always cite Wire, The Pop Group etc for our www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be - 8 - with a few of Depeche, the roadies, sound crew etc. The computer was confiscated by the tour manger as the shows started to run a bit late as the soundman was locked in extra time at 2-2 with one of the door security guards… so we organised races round the theatre with our Tamiya Frog remote control car… Dean: Well, we had fun doing it. We took a games console and a radio controlled car to keep us occupied. This also proved to be a distraction for the road crew much to the annoyance of their tour manager.The tour introduced us to a different audience which was interesting. We hadn't anticipated that some DM fans were quite young and consequently we had to remove some of the more extreme content from the visuals after a parent claimed her daughter was distressed by it. Can you walk us through your creative process when developing new tracks? Is there a particular method or philosophy that consistently shapes your music?
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