Container

Ren Schofield, a veteran of the American noise underground, makes broken, distorted, experimental techno under the name Container. Recalling the likes of D.A.F., Surgeon, and Legowelt, Container proved to be one of the most exciting “avant-techno” artists to emerge from the late-2000s electronic underground scene and, most importantly, he was the one who could really pack a punch and make a lasting impression. Over the course of four full-lengths (all titled LP) for the Spectrum Spools imprint, and several records for other labels, Container’s music evolved from trippy, standard-tempo techno to a form of revved-up electro-punk, overloaded with noise and even bearing some semblance of melody.
Schofield grew up in Providence, Rhode Island, and was an active participant in the city’s noise scene during the 2000s. He toured across the country as part of groups like Gang Wizard and Japanese Karaoke Afterlife Experiment, or solo as God Willing, and ran the independent label I Just Live Here, which issued dozens of limited cassettes and CD-Rs as well as a few vinyl releases. By 2010, he had stopped making noise as God Willing and had begun Container as a straightforward techno project, inspired by Detroit producer Dan Bell as well as the work of his girlfriend, Val Martino (aka Unicorn Hard-On). Based in Nashville, Tennessee at the time, Container’s first album was released by Spectrum Spools, an Editions Mego offshoot curated by Emeralds co-founder John Elliott. A mind-warping crunch of electronics, smashed techno loops, and distortion spread over just five tracks, LP was a visceral assault on the senses and won Schofield wild acclaim and applause in 2011. He quickly followed this with another album — again named LP — in 2012. Recorded on Labor Day weekend 2012 in Providence, Rhode Island, it was a darker and more cohesive affair than its predecessor.
EPs on Morphine Records and Liberation Technologies followed, and Spectrum Spools released Container’s third album — yet again bearing the title LP — in 2015. Much faster and more aggressive than the project’s first album, it was more reflective of his noise rock background. An EP titled Vegetation followed on Powell’s Diagonal label in 2016. The fourth LP arrived in 2018, adding slightly more melodic elements to the Container sound while keeping up the vicious intensity. Moving to Luke Younger’s Alter label, Container released his fifth album and first with a unique title, Scramblers, in 2020. ~ Aneet Nijjar & Paul Simpson