[4] The trio's first release, the cassette-only A Fair Portion (including Andy Wilson of the Passage on bass), was issued in 1980 by Ladelled Music, followed by three further cassettes on In Phaze Records, Gaining Momentum and Private Illusions No 1 (both 1981) and With Mixed Emotion (1982).

[5] The album marked the beginning of the band's underground recognition and was noted for its use of the distinctive Roland TB-303[4] many years before the sound became popularized by acid house and techno music.

But, as the work began to culminate, the label "went cold," offering an objection to the "gruffness of Dean's vocals" and the relationship effectively ended, leaving the band confused over two years of wasted time.

Music as Solar Enemy, the band planned several reissues of Portion Control material, culminating in a retrospective compilation, The Man Who Did Backward Somersaults in 1994.

[4] The band described their early approach to music as "electropunk", with Whybrew explaining "Our background is punk--any kind of slightly hippyish notion left us cold.

[11] Author S. Alexander Reed, in his book Assimilate: A Critical History of Industrial Music, said that Portion Control's early sound "blends innocuously with the moodier moments of Cabaret Voltaire and Throbbing Gristle", and at times "demonstrated a gift for gritty, teethgrinding distortion, not unlike Esplendor Geometrico".

[12][13] Portion Control have been cited as an influence on numerous industrial and electronic music bands including Skinny Puppy, Orbital and Nine Inch Nails.

[3] In the liner notes for the retrospective compilation, The Man Who Did Backward Somersaults, Bill Leeb of Front Line Assembly wrote "they are the band that inspired me to do my own music.