BPM by genre: the tempo of 21 styles, measured

The tempo scale

The 21 best-represented genres in the catalog, sorted from slowest to fastest. The bar covers the range where 80% of the genre's tracks sit; the line marks the median tempo, the one that splits the genre into two equal halves.

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1. Reggaeton96.9
2. RnB99
3. Hip Hop100.8
4. Dancehall101.9
5. Amapiano112.9
6. Afro House121.9
7. Progressive House123
8. Nu Disco125
9. Deep House126
10. Melodic House & Techno127
11. House128
12. EDM128
13. Tech House128.9
14. Bass House130
15. UK Garage136.2
16. Techno138
17. Trance140.1
18. Dubstep140.3
19. Psy Trance144.8
20. Hard Techno157.9
21. Drum & Bass174.1

Three families stand out. Around 95 to 115 BPM, urban and Latin music: hip-hop, RnB, reggaeton, dancehall, amapiano. Between 120 and 130 BPM, the bulk of club music: house, afro house, tech house, nu disco, melodic techno. Above 135 BPM, trance, fast techno, hard techno and drum & bass.

The full table

Download this data: CSV · JSON

The “Corrected readings” column shows the share of tracks the analysis had read at double or half their tempo (see below). It's high where the rhythm lends itself to both readings: drum & bass, dubstep, hip-hop.

How these numbers are measured

Every track published on Nocti Pool gets analyzed: the software detects its tempo and key and estimates its energy. For each genre, we keep the median tempo (half the tracks are below it, half above) and the typical range, which runs from the 10th to the 90th percentile: 80% of tracks fall inside it, and the most extreme 20% are left out.

These numbers describe the catalog as it is, remixes and edits included. They move a little from month to month, and this page is updated along with the catalog.

Double time, half time: the analysis trap

Software that counts beats can get the scale wrong. A drum & bass track at 174 BPM can be read at 87, because its snare lands on every other beat. A reggaeton track at 96 BPM can be read at 192. A UK garage track at 135 BPM can even be read at two-thirds, around 90.

This isn't specific to one program: every tempo analyzer makes this kind of mistake on some tracks. On these pages, those readings are brought back to the perceived tempo before the stats are calculated.

In practice:

• Check the BPM by ear before you beatmatch a track to another one. If the value shown feels twice too slow or twice too fast, it probably is.
• Your software can fix it. Most DJ software lets you double or halve the detected BPM in the beatgrid editor.
• Play with half time. A track at 140 BPM mixes with a track at 70 BPM: their strong beats land together. That's how you go from trap to dubstep, or from hip-hop to drum & bass.

Moving from one genre to another

Changing genre often means changing tempo. Four ways to do it:

1. Climb in small steps. Between two neighboring genres (house at 124, tech house at 128), go up 1 or 2 BPM every two or three tracks. The crowd doesn't feel the climb.
2. Go through half time or double time. To connect two distant worlds, look for the factor of two: 87 and 174, 70 and 140.
3. Use a transition version. Some versions change tempo along the way (from 100 to 125 BPM, for example). They're explained in the guide Extended, radio edit, intro, clean, dirty.
4. Cut hard. A clean stop, an echo or an ending effect, then the next track at its own tempo. It works best on a strong beat, after a chorus.

Keep in mind that changing the tempo without key lock also changes the pitch: past a 3 to 4% difference, vocals start to sound too high or too low. The Camelot wheel guide explains why.

All 21 genres, one by one

Every genre has its own page: tempo histogram, most common keys, energy breakdown and tracks to listen to. The links are in the scale and the table above.

Frequently asked questions

What BPM is house music?

In the Nocti Pool catalog, house has a median tempo of 128 BPM, and 80% of tracks sit between 124.1 and 132 BPM.

What is the BPM range for tech house?

A median tempo of 128.9 BPM, with 80% of tracks between 126 and 132 BPM. It's a very consistent genre: few tracks stray from that range.

What is the BPM range for afro house?

A median tempo of 121.9 BPM, with 80% of tracks between 119.9 and 125 BPM, a little slower than house.

What BPM is reggaeton?

A median tempo of 96.9 BPM, with 80% of tracks between 89 and 110 BPM. Watch out for values around 190: it's the same rhythm, read at double.

What BPM is drum and bass?

A median tempo of 174.1 BPM, with 80% of tracks between 171.9 and 175.2 BPM. If your software shows 87, it's the same tempo, read at half.

What BPM is amapiano?

A median tempo of 112.9 BPM, with 80% of tracks between 107.1 and 123 BPM.