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.