Robert RENTAL
“Mental Detentions”

Robert Rental was a British pioneer of the post-punk DIY industrial electronic music scene in the United Kingdom. Originally from Port Glasgow, Scotland, he moved to the south of England with Thomas Leer in the late 1970s, and became involved with the local music scene. Robert Rental however released very little of his solo music, preferring to collaborate with Thomas Leer, as well as with Daniel Miller. The only solo recording from The 1970s is the 7″ single “Paralysis” first released on the homemade Regular Records, then re-released on Company Records in 1978. Mental Detentions was released as a cassette in 1979, the same year as his masterpiece The Bridge with Thomas Leer (who also features on several tracks on this album). It is an album full of electronic songs ranging from abstract Industrial to rhythmic proto pop. Robert spoke to friends of his frustration at being unable to replicate his sound in a commercial studio – it was these demos’ sound that he wanted to create. Sometimes having only access to the most rudimentary of equipment can hone the creative talent into something sharper and more focused – necessity is the mother of invention, indeed.