Robert Rental — Mental Detentions

Originally self-released in the year 1979 Mental Detentions was the first odd-electro sonic fruits of Robert Rental, aka Scottish electronica come early industrial sound maker Robert Donnachie. Here from Klanggalerie, we have a CD reissue of the album, which shifts between dense dronings, ramshackle boundings, and waving drifts

Scotsman Robert Donnachie was born in 1952, and sadly passed in the year 2000 from Lung canner. He seemingly only recorded under the Robert Rental name between the late 70s and early 80s- with his discography taking in five full-lengths, and three singles. The sound here, as you’d expect from this period of electronica is very formal and primal, though there is no doubt  Donnachie had the talent for creating woozy at points wonkily expressive, sometimes rather haunting work.
 
The CD takes in eight tracks in all- on its original cassette release all the tracks were untitled, though some have been given titles for this release. The album kicks off with the wavering and sinister denseness of “Colourblind” which mixers constantly churning lows with noisily oscillating mids and swirling-to-grating highs.  We have the angular tick-tocking meets nostalgic harmonic flow ‘n’ bob of “Ugly Talk”.
 
Moving into the second half of the album we have  “Vox Scientific” which starts off with a drifting science talk chatter, before unfolding into a blend of thickly sombre horn-like droning, simmer pitch hover, and more muffled chatter/ hazed choir- it could easily have been the soundtrack for sinisterly arty early 80’s sci-fi short.  Or the looped rising synth pipe glow of the final track “Untitled” which later adds in a subtle knock beat, before the track promptly ends.
 
Before this release, I’d never heard of Robert Rental, and it certainly desevers its place in early electronica/ industrial sound-making history. Sadly this CD is now out of print with the label, so you’ll have to hope for a re-pressing, or check discogs to source a copy.