Ivy Lab founder Sabre, the production alias of Gove Kidao, returns to Critical Music with 'Big Cat EP'; a four-track exploration of under-produced drum & bass, breakbeat science and drum-machine electronica, where untamed distortion meets jazz-informed rhythm and industrial sonics. Your browser does not support HTML5 audio. Large toggle button 00:00 / 00:00 Previous track button Next track button Small toggle button A1. 'BRISKET' Small toggle button A2. 'IBM' Small toggle button B1. 'UGLY' Small toggle button B2. 'BIG CAT' Marking his first solo release in almost a decade, 'Big Cat EP' reconnects Sabre with the label that helped define his earlier work, while opening a new chapter that draws as much from JK Flesh, Emptyset, Shapednoise and Slikback as it does from the traditions of drum & bass. Across four stripped-back, high-pressure productions, the EP embraces abrasion, repetition and imperfect textures without losing sight of the rhythmic detail that has long characterised Sabre's work. "Thematically this is undeniably a drum and bass project," says Sabre "but conceptually it's way more influenced by acts outside the scene. It's primarily an experiment with untamed distortion. I just wanted to contribute a raw, punkish perspective to a scene renowned for its immaculately crafted precision productions. It's an experiment in genre fusion with a limited envelope that I'd love to expand on." - Sabre The release also marks a significant personal return following the evolution of Ivy Lab, reconnecting Sabre with the alias that first established his voice within UK bass music. "This is the first solo music I'll drop in nearly 10 years. I was somewhat apprehensive about reviving the alias and the jolt in continuity from the Ivy Lab aesthetic to this new material. In the end what was needed was some stewardship, and Critical Music offering encouragement was the essential jumpstart this project needed. I just want to make music that's deeply personal, somewhat removed from the zeitgeist, and offers some succession to the music I was last releasing during my previous fellowship with Critical Music back in 2010. I have unfinished business in my experimentation at higher tempos and just want to commit a few concepts to tape whilst those ideas still feel vital and vivid." - SabreCat # CRIT280Forthcoming: 21st Sep 2026
