Tempokai

  Once the God started to rave, no one stopped him. His words were like a flood of water pouring through an open dam: they rushed on and swept away everything in their path—and everyone who was not ready for them drowned with it. The only thing that remained unaffected by his speech was the stone wall behind him; his breakbeat rhythm continued its steady march along the same line as before. But he didn't notice this at all, or if so, did not care about it either. He ranted on and on without stopping until there wasn't even time left for anyone else to speak. Drum and bass music filled the air, drowning out every other sound. It sounded very loud, but somehow distant too—as though you could hear it from far off in space. There was nothing humanly possible here now except listening.

  Amen break mixed with standard 909 kick drum... A deep sub-bass throbbed under the main melody's relentless beat. The tempo increased steadily, and the track began to build up speed. When it finally hit full throttle, the whole room shook violently, as though struck by a giant hammer.

  "Your Almighty Majesty!" someone shouted hoarsely over the noise. "Please! Please stop your rantings."

  The man ignored them completely. Instead of paying attention to those trying to get his attention, he focused his entire gaze upon the huge divine synth sitting beside him. This instrument had been specially constructed for him during the st few days, after much trial and error. Now the God turned back toward it with eyes shining brightly, then reached out his hand.

  "SOMEBODY SCREAM!"

  The God shouted again. And once more the people around him screamed. They cried out desperately, begging Him to please, please stop screaming.

  But He would not listen. With a single wave of His arm, He made the synthesizer begin pying another song. Cmaj, Bmaj, D7b9, F#5. The notes pyed themselves, perfectly timed. The people couldn't help but dance in response to the hypnotic beat. Their bodies moved freely, unhampered by any physical restrictions. Heavy 909 kick drums, syncopated to perfection. A solid four bars' worth of sub-bass booming into their ears.

  They danced wildly while the synth's voice sang.

  "I'm going crazy, I can feel myself goin' insane, yeah!"

  The followers all chanted the lyrics together: "My mind is losing control..."

  It was impossible for the humans to resist dancing when faced with such a powerful force. All they could do was let loose, letting the rhythm carry them away. The Almighty tuned few notches higher, bringing the pitch ever closer to pure white noise. In the midst of the madness, the people danced with reckless abandon, lost in the throes of ecstasy. No longer able to keep pace, some colpsed onto the ground and rolled uncontrolbly.

  Almighty gave the energy to continue to flow, but soon it became clear that it was running out. The power generated by the Divine Synth had run dry. The people fell silent. Everyone stared silently at the instrument, waiting expectantly for the next tune.

  And He delivered.

  This new song was different from the others. It was slow and quiet, almost sad. At first, it seemed like a dirge, but gradually the tone changed and transformed itself into something entirely different. Pad chords came crashing down on top of each other, creating a heavy metal riff. Then the lead guitar joined in, followed by a strong rhythmic pulse. The music swelled, becoming louder than anything anyone had heard thus far. Amen break, straight 808 kick drum, a short looped vocal sample.

  Suddenly the room exploded with cheers and appuse. The crowd went wild. Some jumped up and ran around excitedly. Others climbed up onto chairs and tables, shouting happily.

  "BE FREE, BE YOURSELF," they yelled. "DO WHAT MAKES YOUR HEART SING!"

  For several minutes the party raged on unabated. People cheered, cpped, danced, ughed, drank, ate, and the Holy Spirit flowed endlessly throughout the hall. As long as there was life in the body, the spirit lived on.

  Finally the music stopped.

  All the lights suddenly switched off. Darkness swallowed the entire building.

  "Encore! Encore!" someone shouted.

  Then silence reigned.

  There was complete stillness inside the church. Every person present stood stock-still, looking around nervously. Only the sound of breathing broke the momentary hush.

  A choir of angels descended from Heaven, singing a beautiful hymn. The voices rang out clearly, echoing through the vast interior of the cathedral.

  At the end of the chorus, they took turns standing before the altar and offering prayers. And the God, finishing the recalibration of the Divine Synth, stepped forward to stand directly beneath the alter.

  He raised his hands above his head, and spoke to the congregation.

  "You have my blessings, brothers and sisters. Let the rave never die. We will meet again someday, somewhere. Until then—"

  His voice faded slowly, fading away into nothingness.

  The light returned.

  In the darkness, the glow from the Divine Synth cast strange shadows across the floor. A pad chord chimed softly, accompanied by a soft organ melody. The people sat motionless, watching the shadow py.

  Overdriven 909 kick drum, amen break, deep sub-bass.

  Slowly the room began to fill up once again with the sound of ecstatic celebration. Soon the pce was packed tight, and the noise level rose sharply.