American Innovations in Electronic Musical Instruments Yet
another set of musical controllers has appeared over the last
couple of decades. These are essentially “wearable” interfaces,
where a sensor system is affixed to the body or clothing of a
performer. A very early example of this is from composer Gordon
Mumma, who inserted accelerometers and wireless transmitters
into dancers’ belts for performances dating from 1971. Berlin-
based artist Benoit Maubrey has been designing “electro-acoustic
clothing” since the early 1980′s; apparel that incorporates tape
recorders, synthesizers, samplers, speakers, and optical sensors
for very expressive performance. Some of the best-known examples
of wearable controllers were likewise used during the 1980′s by
the New York performance artist Laurie Anderson, who pulled the
triggers off a set of electronic drums and built them into a
suit, enabling a percussive performance by tapping different
sections of the body. Commercial companies started making such
garments in the m