# Sabre Returns To Critical Music For Some Unfinished Drum & Bass Business — TF Word 1. [TF Word](https://www.ticketfairy.com/word.md) 2. [Featured](https://www.ticketfairy.com/word/category/featured.md) 3. Sabre Returns To Critical Music For Some Unfinished Drum & Bass Business - [Featured](https://www.ticketfairy.com/word/category/featured.md) - [Music](https://www.ticketfairy.com/word/category/music.md) # Sabre Returns To Critical Music For Some Unfinished Drum & Bass Business “At its core, the Big Cat EP is undeniably a drum & bass project,” says Sabre, who returns to the label where he released some of his most iconic work for a four-track EP. Over the past decade and a half, Gove Kidao… [Sagar Deshmukh](https://www.ticketfairy.com/word/author/sagar0204.md) 19 August 2026 · 4 min read ***“At its core, the Big Cat EP is undeniably a drum & bass project,” says Sabre, who returns to the label where he released some of his most iconic work for a four-track EP.*** Over the past decade and a half, Gove Kidao, better known as Sabre, has delivered some of UK bass music’s most pivotal and defining moments. Starting with his solo project before helping give birth to the genius that was Ivy Lab alongside Halogenix and Stray in 2012, Kidao’s journey has been defined by constant and consistent evolution. From a string of stunning drum & bass releases to his pioneering approach to halftime, Sabre helped open up an entirely new world within bass music for producers and DJs for years to come. His work gave the emerging style a wider audience, challenging perceptions of what drum & bass could be and showcasing just how far the genre could stretch without losing its identity. As Ivy Lab evolved into a duo, that restless creativity continued to manifest in increasingly experimental forms, culminating in 2022’s *Infinite Falling Ground*; an album that came close to securing the pair a Grammy nomination. Fast forward August 2026, as the Ivy Lab story now approaches its final chapter, with the duo set to split at the end of 2026, the legacy Sabre and his expeditions leave behind is already considerable. There are plenty of moments across Sabre’s career to return to, reminisce over and draw inspiration from. More importantly, his trajectory offers a blueprint for anyone looking to carve out a lane that is entirely their own. As Ivy Lab enters its final stretch, Sabre has wasted almost no time reconnecting with the foundations of his solo identity. Returning to Critical Music, the label that played such a pivotal role during some of the most formative years of his evolution, Sabre has delivered ‘Big Cat’ EP, a head-turning four-track release that brings him back to the drum & bass roots that first established his name. As Sabre himself puts it, the project is “thematically and undeniably a drum and bass project,” but that description only tells us part of the story. Across its four tracks, the four tracker operates around the peripheries of the genre, pulling in elements of breakbeat, drum-machine electronica, rhythm, distortion and industrial sonics to create something that is deeply rooted in his philosophy of unconventionality The ‘Big Cat’ EP is 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. The EP Marking his first solo release in almost a decade which sees Sabre open a new chapter that draws inspirations from the works of names like JK Flesh, Emptyset, Shapednoise and Slikback as it does from the traditions of drum & bass. It’s not your regular drum & bass listening that you can possibly apply the vibe on the dancefloor. It’s stripped-back experience of high-pressure productions that demands patience and embraces abrasion, repetition and imperfect textures without losing sight of the rhythmic detail that has long characterised Sabre’s work. [Sabre - Big Cat EP by Critical Music](https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?visual=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Fplaylists%2F2285878896&show_artwork=true&maxheight=1000&maxwidth=702) The EP opens with ‘Brisket’ which is a dark and mechanical offering that bring in industrial textures that are all wrapped into a lean, tightly controlled drum & bass framework. Then comes the title track almost attacks you with its drum patterns that land with almost physical force after a long, unsettling intro of distorted drones; which also justifes the track name, except it feels like a terminator charging towards you rather than a big cat. The next track ‘Ugly’, once again is unconvential listening but with a purposeful sense of rhythm in its progression that is a deliberate abrasive collision of mangled breaks, distorted bass and warped, almost ritualistic sampling. Closing the EP is ‘IBM’ which has a feature of crunching snares and chopped breaks that repeatedly buckle against a thick, grimy and metallic low end. If anything, the ‘Big Cat’ EP feels like a fitting reminder that Sabre has never been particularly interested in standing still. For him, as one chapter of his career draws to a close, another is already taking shape with the sounds that helped define his journey while refusing to simply recreate the **You May Also Like:** [**Mustard Music Distills Its Identity on ‘Inglorious Mustards 2’**](https://www.ticketfairy.com/word/2026/07/15/mustard-music-distills-its-identity-on-inglorious-mustards-2) **[Hedex Unveils the Next Chapter of His Album With a Fiery New Single](https://www.ticketfairy.com/word/2026/07/03/hedex-unveils-the-next-chapter-of-his-album-with-a-fiery-new-single)** **[LEGION Breaks Down the Journey Behind ‘Wakefield Dub’](https://www.ticketfairy.com/word/2026/06/25/legion-breaks-down-the-journey-behind-wakefield-dub)** Share [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ticketfairy.com%2Fword%2F2026%2F08%2F19%2Fsabre-returns-to-critical-music-for-some-unfinished-drum-bass-business&text=Sabre+Returns+To+Critical+Music+For+Some+Unfinished+Drum+%26+Bass+Business) [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ticketfairy.com%2Fword%2F2026%2F08%2F19%2Fsabre-returns-to-critical-music-for-some-unfinished-drum-bass-business) [WhatsApp](https://api.whatsapp.com/send?text=Sabre+Returns+To+Critical+Music+For+Some+Unfinished+Drum+%26+Bass+Business+https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ticketfairy.com%2Fword%2F2026%2F08%2F19%2Fsabre-returns-to-critical-music-for-some-unfinished-drum-bass-business) ## Sagar Deshmukh Drum & Bass head with a tinge of hip shake for Disco. A DJ when I am not glued to my screen! [More by Sagar Deshmukh →](https://www.ticketfairy.com/word/author/sagar0204.md) TF Word newsletter ## Get TF Word in your inbox One email a week: the stories worth reading and the shows worth going to. No spam, unsubscribe any time. Your email address By subscribing you agree to our [privacy policy](https://www.ticketfairy.com/privacy-policy). 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