What BPM is Amapiano?
Amapiano has a median tempo of 113 BPM. Half of all amapiano sits between 112 and 113 BPM, measured across 5,811 analysed tracks. The genre's editorial range is 108–115 BPM; our catalog measures slightly tighter.
Other · 2010s South Africa — present
Measured 13 August 2026 from 5,811 amapiano tracks in our catalog. 712 tempo outliers removed by a Tukey IQR fence. No track needed a half-time correction. 134 tracks (2.3%) carry a tempo our detectors flagged for review; they are included in these figures.
Method: how we correct half-time BPM detection — why fast genres get stored at half speed, and the rule we apply before publishing a median.
Median BPM
113
Middle half
112–113
9 in 10
112–113
Mean
113
Tracks measured
5,811
BPM distribution
5,811 tracks · median 113 BPM · most of the catalog sits between 112 and 113 BPM · 712 outliers removed by IQR filter.
How tightly does amapiano hold its tempo?
Half of all amapiano sits inside a 1 BPM window, 112 to 113. Widen to nine tracks in ten and the band runs 112–113 BPM.
10th percentile 112 · lower quartile 112 · median 113 · upper quartile 113 · 90th percentile 113 BPM
How amapiano tempo has shifted
Across 362 amapiano tracks spanning 2021–2025, the median tempo has stayed remarkably stable with the highest median in 2021 (113 BPM) and the lowest in 2021 (113 BPM).
Why this tempo?
Amapiano's 108–115 BPM range emerged from South African house culture's preference for groove-weighted, conversation-friendly tempos that prioritize pocket over pace. The genre's defining deep log drums—tuned low and played with swing and syncopation—require space to breathe; faster speeds would collapse the pocket and flatten the jazz-inflected hi-hat and snare interplay. Equipment constraints in early Johannesburg and Pretoria production setups favored drum machines and samplers that locked tightly at mid-tempo, while the dancefloor function demanded a tempo that supported sustained, intimate movement rather than peak-time exertion. This tempo also allows piano melodies and chord progressions to sit clearly in the mix without harmonic blur.
Where your track fits
Three reference points along the BPM axis for amapiano, with what the position implies about the track.
Groovy side
Lower quartile — patient builds, deeper grooves, long blends.
Genre centre
Median — what most tracks in the catalog actually sound like.
Where amapiano sits on the tempo axis
Median BPM of amapiano compared to neighbouring genres in the same family. Closer medians mean easier cross-genre transitions.
Reggaeton
95 BPMAfrobeats
110 BPMAmapiano
113 BPMPop
120 BPMElectro
132 BPM
Popular amapiano tracks at the median BPM
Catalog tracks within ±2 BPM of 113, sorted by popularity.
Top amapiano artists in the catalog
Names you’ll meet often when building amapiano sets.
Producing amapiano — tempo notes
- ›Tune your 808 sub-bass to sit at 110 BPM kick intervals; swing the log drums 8–12% behind the grid to create pocket without losing lock.
- ›Layer jazz piano voicings with 2–4 bar phrase boundaries; at 110 BPM, a single chord change every 8 bars reads as structural, not static.
- ›Sidechain the pad layer to the kick with a 50–80 ms release; faster release times muddy the log drum's definition at this tempo.
Mixing amapiano sets — tempo notes
- ›Blend tracks over 16–32 bars when mixing at 110 BPM; the genre's swing and pocket require longer EQ and level matching than peak-time house.
- ›Isolate the log drum layer in the low-mid (200–400 Hz) with a narrow Q; at 108–115 BPM, even 2 dB of overlap between kick and snare destroys groove clarity.
- ›Use a high-pass filter set to 60 Hz on reverb sends to keep space around the sub-bass; amapiano's depth depends on clean low-end separation.
FAQ
What BPM is Amapiano?⌄
Has amapiano's BPM changed over time?⌄
At what BPM should I produce a amapiano track?⌄
What Camelot keys are most common in amapiano?⌄
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