DUBH

Description

DUBH is an album by the British alternative worship group Ikon (Padraig Tworney and Stray: Jonny McEwen and Paul Hutchinson), released on the Proost in August 2005, an independent British label set up in the late 1990s focusing on alternative worship music. (The CD was released at the Greenbelt festival that year.) Composed by Jonny McEwen, Paul Hutchinson, and Padraig Tworney. A moving mix of soundscapes, poetry, beats and song.

Staples of the Greenbelt Arts Festival with their club culture-based worship services, the Ikon community of Belfast strive to reveal God as one who “escapes all our attempts at domestication through words, images and experience” and with the liquid feel of ‘Dubh’ they definitely succeed. From the outset, the album’s music fades in and wafts over you as if drums and loops were never invented, to the point where you wonder how this music was put together with seemingly nothing to hang a melody onto; indeed, where exactly is the melody? ‘Dubh’ is the soundtrack that accompanies the Ikon services held at the Menagerie Bar, Belfast. To allow the listener chance to hear what goes on at these services, samples of the events and recorded prose punctuate the tracks. At first the spoken prose can seem an intrusion, but the Ikon website is a great explainer of what’s going on. The music behind ‘Dubh’ is more an accompaniment to the poetry read, visuals seen and prayers spoken rather than a main focal point. This is to avoid trampling the messages with attention grabbing hooks and beats. The first CD Ikon released was blank, ‘Dubh’ contains music that avoids being listened to. In essence, they’re amazing worship tools, releasing us to listen to God and God the space to speak. [Ben Lilford, Cross Rhythms, November 2005]

CD tracklist:

01. I Never Question God
02. Gift
03. My Low
04. St. Augustines Dance
05. Manifesto
06. Belfast Beats Me Up
07. Ps 33
08. Map For The Perplexed
09. Yearn
10. Tremble
11. Love Theme
12. God Rid Me Of God