One thing that’s special about Robert Rental’s work is its inability to be slotted into any camp of underground music activity. There’s as much early Human League here as there is Throbbing Gristle. The amateur scrappiness and intimacy of D-I-Y meets the echoes of articulate art-rock. Be it the post-Kraftwerk trance inducers or the very fried French folks like Heldon and Ilitch.
It’s initially hard to believe, and then makes total sense, that these recordings are from ’78 as they feel liberated by the egalitarian ethos of punk, but also free from the 3-chord ball ‘n’ chain. An extremely enjoyable chapter in early consumer electronics and home recording experiments. No keys to the academy needed!
– Nic