You deserve it 2025, Manuela Cardona

You deserve it (2025) is a fixed media piece that explores the idea of sonic tension, delay, and eventual release, inspired by the concept of “coloring silence” as discussed in an IRCAM panel at the International Computer Music Conference (ICMC) in Boston.

The piece uses spatial panning as a primary rhythmic and structural tool, guiding the listener

through a shifting landscape of spectral textures and processed percussive gestures. Found

percussion objects form the backbone of the work’s timbral world, augmented by spectral

processing techniques that give the sound an immersive, almost tactile presence. A processed male voice emerges midway through the piece, growling through the textures like an elemental force.

Built on the tension between noise and ambiguous tonality, the work deliberately withholds any tonal or rhythmic payoff until the very end. It is designed as a meditative challenge—inviting deep listening and rewarding those who engage with patience and attention. Ultimately, the title becomes a quiet affirmation about patience and resolution: the listener who endures the tension does, in fact, deserve it.