Christopher Hoppe

REVIEW PUBLISHED IN SIDE-LINE MAGAZINE

Portion Control - Stansted mcd/dvd/7" picturedisc (self-released/portion-control.net)

 

In 2004, Portion Control resurfaced with "Wellcome" and unleashed it onto an unsuspecting 21st century. Giving fans a bit of time to digest the glut of material found on that double disc CD, PC returns to reinvent their electro-punk legacy yet again. "Stansted" is a mini cd/ep available in two different formats; either as a retro 7" picture disc featuring 4 songs, or as a 6 song CD with a bonus 3" mini DVD. Portion Control presents "Stansted" in their trademark polyprop packaging. The CD and DVD covers show a man wearing an orange safety vest emblazoned with the PC logo in a random terminal corridor, while the 7" picture disc sports the classic PC logo pressed into vinyl on each side. "Blood Rushed to Head" leads off both the mcd and 7". "Are you aware?...Are you suspicious?" Dean's menacing voice taunts over a cold hard breakbeat making for a rather eerie experience. Multi layers of percussive bass and almost siren-like keyboard noises give this track an unmistakable timeless PC sound. Its counterpart, "Blood Rushed to Dub," surrounds minimal voices buried in effects and echoes with sharp stabs of sequenced patterns.

 

The real payoff for long-time fans comes in the form of "Chew You to Bits Rebuild," not just a remix, but a total reconstruction of the 1983 electro-punk classic "Chew You To Bits." Enhanced with modern digital production unlike its analog predecessor, "Rebuild" has a slightly faster tempo and cleaner instrumentation bringing it up to date without insulting the original. "Chew You to Bits Dubbed" builds on the theme in a true dub fashion; most vocals being dropped out, voice effects are added with more emphasis on rhythmic percussive noise. The mcd boasts two additional instrumental tracks not found on the 7".

 

"The Way Out" is a slow, yet brutal noisescape of dirge-like percussion and sampled voices infused in a delightfully nauseating motion sickness. The title is somewhat misleading as it evokes an uneasy vision of impending doom with no escape in sight. "Gate 57" is an ambient minimal soundtrack for the weary passenger; a slow, nearly dream-like sequence of garbled airport white noise, synth strings and sparse chords with some pounding beats thrown in for good measure. "Gate 57" also appears on the bonus DVD along with "Blood Rushed To Head." North American fans should note that the DVD is formatted for PAL systems only, however the DVD should play on most computers with a DVD drive. "Stansted" proves that Portion Control do not wallow in nostalgia, instead they've siphoned the best elements right out of their own time capsule presenting a fresh and enthusiastic composition for fans to chew on until the next transmission. (CH:9/10 DP:6/7) CH.