Rubén Bañuelos (Tijuana, MX) is a percussionist, sound artist, and researcher based in Basel, where he investigates the performance and non-performance of acoustics through hybrid instrument-installations, primarily his CLSTR0 cluster. His work bridges acoustic and electronic media while maintaining a deep commitment to percussion as a foundational medium.

His practice interrogates technological autonomy for musicians and the decentralization of human performativity, as seen in projects like That Weightless Flesh Is Our Relative (2024), which reimagines accessible percussion repertoire using locally fabricated instruments. Rubén holds master’s degrees from the Musik-Akademie Basel (under Christian Dierstein) and ESMUC Barcelona (under Miquel Bernat), as well as a B.M. from The Boston Conservatory. 

Since 2024, his research Disembodiment as a Performative Spectrum employs CLSTR0 to explore environments where performativity is fluid, mediated by algorithmic entropy and interactive visuals via TouchDesigner. This research project is supervised by Christian Dierstein, Michel Roth, and Svetlana Maraš. With Domenico Melchiorre (Lunason) as an external mentor of his academic research, an instrument called CLSTR1 has been developed. 

His work has been featured in festivals like Sónar (Barcelona), and the Darmstädter Ferienkurse, as well as workshopped under the mentorship of Steve Goodman (aka Kode9).

Forthcoming works include LOS GRANDES VUELOS, an interactive installation version of CLSTR1 at FABRIKculture (Hégenheim, FR) that will run from 28.09.25-02.11.25, as well as SANGRE BUENA NUNCA SECA, a hybrid performative-installative piece for the finissage of the same exhibition. In respect to writing, a paper presentation of a piece titled Audio-political interfaces. A viscoursive account of sound interface design for the Répertoire International d’Iconographie Musical (CH) will come out at the association's conference in Mexico City this October.