What BPM is techno?
Techno is 128-140 BPM, and 134 is a fair single number. The machine above is playing techno at 134 BPM - press Space to hear it, then move the tempo and listen for where it stops sounding like techno.
Why techno lives at 128-140 BPM
Techno is 128-140 BPM, and the number has drifted up over the decades. The Detroit records of 1988-92 sat at 125-135, the Berlin sound that dominated the 2010s at 128-134, and the harder, industrial and peak-time end runs 138-145 and beyond - hard techno and schranz pass 150. Most of what plays in a club tonight is between 130 and 136, and 134 is a fair centre.
What holds it there is the four-on-the-floor kick with almost nothing swinging around it. Techno is house's kick stripped of house's bounce: closed hats on the offbeat, a tight clap, a rim, and everything dead on the grid. Without swing, tempo is the only thing that changes the feel, which is why techno's range is wide - 128 is a hypnotic loop, 140 is a stomp - and why the same pattern at 124 with an open hat is simply house.
134 BPM in milliseconds
For setting delay times, checking a sample's length, or programming by ear: at 134 BPM one bar of 4/4 is 1,791 ms and a 16th note is 112 ms.
| At 134 BPM | Length | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| One bar (4/4) | 1,791 ms | 0.56 Hz |
| Quarter note (one beat) | 448 ms | 2.23 Hz |
| Dotted 8th | 336 ms | 2.98 Hz |
| 8th note | 224 ms | 4.47 Hz |
| 8th-note triplet | 149 ms | 6.70 Hz |
| 16th note | 112 ms | 8.93 Hz |
| 32nd note | 56 ms | 17.87 Hz |
The genres either side
Tempo windows overlap, and what separates neighbours is usually swing and where the snare falls rather than the number itself. Techno with its nearest neighbours by tempo:
| Genre | BPM | Typical | Felt pulse | Swing | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Frequently asked
What BPM is hard techno?
The hard techno BPM range is 140-155, sometimes more. Above 150 it is usually called schranz or hardcore. On this page push the groove to 145 and the stomp turns into a gallop.
What is the difference between house and techno tempo?
About ten beats a minute: house 120-128, techno 128-140. The overlap at 128 is where tech house lives. The bigger difference is swing - house has a little, techno has none.
Can I make techno at a different tempo?
Yes, and the edges of the window are where the interesting records live. The point of the range is that inside it a listener hears techno before they hear anything else; outside it, the same drum pattern reads as a neighbouring style. Drag the tempo on this page to hear the crossover happen.
Go deeper
Every genre's tempo
- 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 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
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.