Imogen Heap Innovates Music Production With Wearable Technology Project

by | May 2, 2014 | Industry News, Videos

Earlier this month, audio specialist Sennheiser announced its MOMENTUM campaign, which together with Spotify highlights one hundred unique sound stories from all over the world: stories about creators with MOMENTUM, people who push the world forward with their creative passions. The stories feature artists, innovators and entrepreneurs in the truest sense, and serve to inspire others to uncover their own unique MOMENTUM.

The story of Imogen Heap is the latest in this series of inspiring stories. Imogen embodies the ideals of the new Sennheiser campaign by stretching the boundaries of traditional performance and by engaging with fans using ‘the power of the glove.’

An eclectic and eccentric pioneer in today’s music scene, Imogen Heap is considered by some to be the epitome of a ‘digital diva.’ Her talent spans from songwriting to elaborate live multi-instrumental improvisations that build on her unique voice, classical training and unusual tech-saaviness.

The Mi.Mu glove takes musicians from behind the computer screens, keyboards, and buttons they have become so dependent on, bringing them to center stage. Using the dexterity and mobility of the human body as both an instrument and a music controller, this wearable technology enables artists break down the barriers between musicians and machines, and between performers and audiences. This ultimately shifts the paradigm of how songs can be made and performed in a live setting.

“The Gloves are my dream come true, beautiful wearable-tech garments, that allow me to break the barrier between me: the musician, the creative and elements of my chosen computer software instruments, effects or workstation,” she says. “I can now bring those sounds ‘out of the box’, gesturally, expressively and wirelessly where I’ve found other external controllers have failed.”

Working with a team of scientists, designers and coders for over four years, Imogen recently started a Kickstarter campaign with the objective of making the gloves available to other artists and creators: “This was initially a personal passion project but after various demos and performances with the gloves, tons of people have expressed their desire to get their hands in a pair of their own, so we’re making them available to other creatives on our Kickstarter campaign. I hope they liberate many other musicians as they’ve done for me! It’s amazing to be able to sculpt sound out of thin air!”

Imogen’s stage performance is equally as innovative when it comes to power consumption and the environment. Recently she started a revolution in concert touring, hosting a ‘green’ live silent gig whereby all the electricity was generated entirely from renewable sources on site, and all audio pushed through wireless headphones.

Imogen Heap has MOMENTUM and was chosen by Sennheiser to be part of this campaign, which is designed to serve as creative inspiration to others.

What’s your MOMENTUM?

As part of the MOMENTUM campaign, Sennheiser is inviting anyone to share their creativity by contributing their own videos on www.sennheiser-momentum.com and by watching the MOMENTUM videos. Visitors can vote for their favorite stories and add their own seven-second MOMENTUM film to a video chain that inspired them, or that shares the same themes or ideas as their own submission. To take part in the MOMENTUM project, videos can be uploaded between April 2, 2014 and July 31, 2014.

Those who inspire the most successful chains, creators of the most successful videos, and people who vote over ten times in a week will be eligible for a weekly prize drawing for a pair of MOMENTUM headphones and a six month subscription to Spotify Premium. As part of the campaign, Sennheiser will also award ‘ultimate sound experience’ trips to New York, London and Tokyo.

To learn more, watch the films or to submit videos, visit www.sennheiser-momentum.com. Even more MOMENTUM videos can be found on www.youtube.com/sennheisermomentum