PCM

PCM are a Birmingham, UK act formed in 1990 by Neil Harvey and Nik Wells. They begin as PCM Soundsystem, hosting parties in warehouses and empty buildings in Birmingham and taking their sound to free festivals and outdoor parties. Their early sets draw on a wide range of dance music, from acid and hardcore through to early jungle, and they also perform their own material live. This helps them build a following in the underground dance scene in the Midlands.

CHAOS club and drum and bass scene

After the clampdown on illegal parties in 1993, PCM start the CHAOS club at the Moseley Dance Centre and later move it to the Circus club in Balsall Heath. They act as residents and host guests including Hyper On Experience, DJ Edge, Ratty and Fallout. The night runs until 1996 and becomes associated with dark, heavy drum and bass.

Recordings, remixes and collaborations

In 1995, PCM remix “The End” by Scorn for the remix album Ellipsis. The remix receives strong reviews in the UK and abroad and leads to an ongoing relationship with Mick Harris. PCM go on to play with Scorn in France, Holland, Belgium, Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland. They also release a 12-inch EP on Harris’ Possible Records and a solo project with Neil Harvey appears on Sub Rosa under the title Shortcut to Connect.

The duo later release material on Law and Auder, Domino, Manifold and EST. They also perform with Mike Paradinas, Aphex Twin, Luke Vibert, Scanner, Gary Clail, D’arcangelo, Zion Train, Lords of Acid and Test Dept.

Other projects and activity

Harvey completes solo remix work for Sub Rosa Records and for reggae artists Steel Pulse, and tours the US with Scorn, Pigface, Dead Voices on Air and FM Einheit. Wells DJs with Roni Size, LTJ Bukem, Nicky Blackmarket and Randall, and is a resident at the techno club House of God.

PCM also work with Birmingham Jazz, including performances at the finales of Artsfest in 1998, 1999 and 2000, and a project called Edge of Motion with Birmingham jazz musicians including Chris Bowden. They continue to play live regularly and appear at festivals including The Glade Festival and Supersonic Festival, alongside DJ Food and The Bug.