What BPM is it? A tempo chart for drum genres
Every genre has a tempo window it lives in, and most of them are narrower than people expect. This chart is the windows side by side, slowest to fastest, with the number most records actually sit at. Every row is a page where that genre is playing at that tempo, so the answer to "what BPM is it" is something you can hear, not just read.
| Genre | BPM | Typical | Felt pulse | Swing | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lo-Fi Hip Hop | 70-85 | 78 | as written | 30-40 | Hip hop |
| Hip Hop | 80-100 | 90 | as written | 0-40, by style | Hip hop |
| Boom Bap | 88-94 | 91 | as written | 16-24 | Hip hop |
| Reggaeton | 88-100 | 96 | as written | 0 | Latin |
| Funk | 95-115 | 104 | as written | 10-16 | Funk and soul |
| Afrobeats | 100-115 | 110 | as written | 8-14 | African |
| Amapiano | 110-115 | 112 | as written | 6-12 | Dance |
| Disco | 110-125 | 120 | as written | 8-14 | Funk and soul |
| Afro House | 118-126 | 122 | as written | 8-14 | Dance |
| House | 120-128 | 124 | as written | 0-8 | Dance |
| UK Garage | 130-135 | 133 | as written | 30-40 | Dance |
| Techno | 128-140 | 134 | as written | 0 | Dance |
| The Amen Break | 136-137 | 136 | as written | 0-8 | Breaks |
| Trap | 130-150 | 140 | 65-75 (half-time) | 0 | Hip hop |
| Phonk | 130-160 | 140 | 65-80 (half-time) | 0 | Hip hop |
| Drill | 138-145 | 140 | 69-72 (half-time) | 0 | Hip hop |
| Dubstep | 138-142 | 140 | 69-71 (half-time) | 0 | Bass |
| Jungle | 160-175 | 170 | as written | 8-14 | Breaks |
| Drum and Bass | 170-176 | 174 | as written | 0-10 | Breaks |
| Neurofunk | 172-176 | 174 | as written | 0-4 | Breaks |
How to read "felt pulse"
4 of the 20 genres here are written at double the tempo they are felt at. Trap, drill and phonk put the snare on beat 3 only, instead of on 2 and 4, which halves the pulse: a 140 BPM trap beat has the same nod as a 70 BPM lo-fi beat, and producers keep the high number so the hi-hat rolls fit the grid as 16ths and 32nds. Drum and bass is the reverse case - the snare really is on 2 and 4 at 174, but the bassline moves at 87 underneath it. When two genres share a number, look at the swing column and at where the snare lands; that is usually what separates them.
Where the numbers come from
Each range is the window inside which a listener hears the genre before they hear anything else, drawn from the records that defined it and checked against the grooves on this site, which were programmed at the tempos in the "typical" column. They are ranges, not rules: the interesting records are often at the edges, and every genre page says what happens when you cross one.
One genre at a time
- What BPM is lo-fi hip hop?70-85 BPM
- What BPM is hip hop?80-100 BPM
- What BPM is boom bap?88-94 BPM
- What BPM is reggaeton?88-100 BPM
- What BPM is funk?95-115 BPM
- What BPM is afrobeats?100-115 BPM
- What BPM is amapiano?110-115 BPM
- What BPM is disco?110-125 BPM
- What BPM is afro house?118-126 BPM
- What BPM is house?120-128 BPM
- What BPM is UK garage?130-135 BPM
- What BPM is techno?128-140 BPM
- What BPM is the Amen break?136-137 BPM
- What BPM is trap?130-150 BPM · half-time
- What BPM is drill?138-145 BPM · half-time
- What BPM is phonk?130-160 BPM · half-time
- What BPM is dubstep?138-142 BPM · half-time
- What BPM is jungle?160-175 BPM
- What BPM is drum and bass?170-176 BPM
- What BPM is neurofunk?172-176 BPM
Hear the grooves themselves
- Boom Bap91 BPM · HIP HOP
- Chipmunk Soul91 BPM · HIP HOP
- East Coast Hip Hop92 BPM · HIP HOP
- Trap Hi-Hat146 BPM · TRAP
- Dubstep140 BPM · BASS
- Four on the Floor124 BPM · HOUSE
- Disco120 BPM · DISCO
- Techno136 BPM · TECHNO
- Two Step134 BPM · GARAGE
- Motorik146 BPM · ROCK
- Jungle174 BPM · breakbeat
- Liquid Drum and Bass174 BPM · drum-and-bass
- Neurofunk Drum and Bass174 BPM · DRUM AND BASS
- Ragga Jungle170 BPM · breakbeat
- Amen Break174 BPM · BREAKS
- Amen Chops165 BPM · BREAKS
- Funk Break102 BPM · BREAKS
- Half-Time Shuffle92 BPM · ROCK
- Bo Diddley Beat136 BPM · ROCK
- Second Line92 BPM · FUNK
- Dembow96 BPM · DANCEHALL
- Bossa Nova136 BPM · LATIN
- Afrobeat114 BPM · AFRICAN
- One Drop Reggae74 BPM · REGGAE
BAP Studio is inspired by classic 16-pad sampler and drum-machine workflows. It is an independent project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Akai Professional, Roland, or any other manufacturer.
Made by Max Berggren.