Polytechnic Youth shares yet another discerning find in the shape of this vibrant vinyl debut from Toronto’s Gabe Knox

Have we reached a peak for synth boffins? Quite possibly. However, when it comes to the distinguishing discoveries of Polytechnic Youth label owner Dom Martin, he’s yet to find a way down into the troughs, such is the reliability of his hunter gatherer ears. Latterly, you could pretty confidently pick-up almost anything new from the PY catalogue and be rewarded by Martin’s A&R selection skills. This covetable collection from Canadian Gabe Knox – already on to its soon-to-sell-out second pressing at time of writing – certainly fits the pattern.

Cleaving closer to the retro-utopian vanguard of the PY roster rather than its murkier dystopian fringes, ABC rounds up and marginally recalibrates choice cuts from Knox’s series of three alphabetised digital-only Bandcamp EPs, which he began putting up and out in 2015. Although visiting avenues frequented by his analogue-electro exploring labelmates, ABC does also lean into the more motorik routes marked out by artists on PY sibling imprint Deep Distance, making for cross-fertilisations with notably high quality control.

Hence, while the opening triumvirate of the buzzing blissful “Look & Listen”, the utterly gorgeous epic “Glacial Drift” and the bleepy buoyancy of “Bits & Bytes” share the radiant synth-pop sensibilities of Listening Center and Cité Lumière they also possess the gliding slinkiness redolent of Neu! and Harmonia. Thereafter, proceedings shift seamlessly back and forth across these blurred sonic lines, with rich pickings aplenty. This takes us through uplifting early-OMD-meets-Radio Activity-era Kraftwerk giddiness (“Cité Radieuse” and “Esperanto”); burbling cable-plugging primitivism (“Primeros Pasos” and “The Tomorrow People”); robot-disco grooves with a dash of The Detox Twins (“Das Auto”); and Australian Testing Labs-like pulsing and glistening (“Data Set”).

Sounding simultaneously effortless and highly-crafted, this inaugural vinyl set from Gabe Knox will lead you scurrying to Bandcamp to pick up the remaining pieces from where it was distilled, as well as leaving you wanting even more on top. Hopefully, we’ll be obliged on the latter front sooner rather than later.

gabeknox.bandcamp.com

Adrian
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