Dead Body Collection - Iatrogenic Effect [Ominous Recordings - 2016]Though this once highly prolific Serbian walled noise project stopped creating new work in early 2016, there is still a large backlog of unreleased material. And this C20 tape on Swish noise label Ominous Recordings is one such release. On offer here are two side long slices of unforgiving, brain-drilling, & stark walled noise. The release comes in fairly scene generous edition of 50 copies. The black cassette features double-sided monochrome labels- these take in minimal black lines, and a grey-to-black like photo wash. The inlay is a single sided black & white affair taking in fairly typical & murky DBC artwork, featuring human body scans, medical instruments, x-rays etc. You also get a download code to inside the sleeve. The releases title/theme, relates to illness caused by medical examination or treatment…so really its title & artwork are both fairly text book examples of the projects past output.
On side one we have "Iatrogenic Effect I", and this ‘wall’ brings together a distant, blunt & low-end churn, with layers of rattling, juddering, and shaking noise. These layers focus in at a muffled blend of mid ranged tones, which go from hazed to slightly crisper. The whole thing moves along at a firmly fixed manner- the churn creates a nice feeling of industrial starkness, while the top layers give a feel of grim urgency to the proceedings.
Flipping over to side B, and we have "Iatrogenic Effect II". This feels very much related to the first track, as it uses similar textures to create a similar vibe. We have a slightly more open, though still distant grey noise drone, and over this are a selection of juddering, shuffling, and churning textures. These again have a mid-range focus, though they do come across less defined & thinner, compared with the layers of the first track. Once again the whole thing is very much fixed & focused in its feel, though I did find that at times the elements did start to blur & merge.
As later day DBC releases go Iatrogenic Effect is worthy enough- with both tracks creating a feeling of unbroken, barren, yet suffocating starkness. As of reviewing this release the label still have copies left, and if you’re a DBC fan it’s worth adding this to your collection. Roger Batty
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