Container

Ren Schofield, long immersed in the American noise underground, channels fractured and abrasive experimental techno through his Container project. Echoing D.A.F., Surgeon, and Legowelt, he emerged during the late-2000s electronic underground as one of its most compelling "avant-techno" figures, distinguished by an ability to deliver forceful, memorable impact. Across four Spectrum Spools full-lengths—all titled LP—plus additional releases on other imprints, Container shifted from hypnotic mid-tempo techno toward high-velocity electro-punk saturated with noise yet occasionally revealing melodic contours. His sixth album, Yacker, appeared in 2024.

Schofield spent his formative years in Providence, Rhode Island, actively contributing to the local noise community throughout the 2000s. He performed nationally in ensembles such as Gang Wizard and Japanese Karaoke Afterlife Experiment, in addition to solo work as God Willing, while operating the independent label I Just Live Here, which produced numerous limited cassettes and CD-Rs alongside select vinyl editions. By 2010 he had discontinued God Willing and launched Container as a direct techno endeavor, drawing inspiration from Detroit producer Dan Bell and the output of his girlfriend, Val Martino (aka Unicorn Hard-On). Then based in Nashville, Tennessee, Container issued his debut album on Spectrum Spools, an Editions Mego subsidiary founded by Emeralds co-founder John Elliott. The 2011 release, LP, delivered a disorienting barrage of electronics, pulverized techno loops, and distortion across five tracks, registering as a visceral sensory onslaught that earned Schofield widespread critical praise. He promptly issued a follow-up, also titled LP, in 2012. Captured over Labor Day weekend in Providence, Rhode Island, this edition presented a darker, more unified statement than its predecessor.

Subsequent EPs on Morphine Records and Liberation Technologies preceded Spectrum Spools’ release of Container’s third album—again titled LP—in 2015. Faster and more aggressive than the initial LP, it more overtly reflected his noise-rock roots. Vegetation, an EP on Powell’s Diagonal label, surfaced in 2016. The fourth LP arrived in 2018, incorporating modest melodic touches without diminishing its raw force. Container then moved to Luke Younger’s Alter imprint for his fifth album and first with a distinct title, Scramblers, issued in 2020. The EP Creamer followed on Drone in 2021. Yacker, another Alter release, emerged in 2024.