What BPM is Disco?

Disco has a median tempo of 122 BPM. Half of all disco sits between 119 and 124 BPM, measured across 7,209 analysed tracks. The genre's editorial range is 110–130 BPM; our catalog measures slightly tighter.

Disco / Funk · 1970s — present

Measured 13 August 2026 from 7,209 disco tracks in our catalog. 865 tempo outliers removed by a Tukey IQR fence. No track needed a half-time correction. 217 tracks (3.0%) 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

122

Middle half

119–124

9 in 10

115–126

Mean

121

Tracks measured

7,209

BPM distribution

7,209 tracks · median 122 BPM · most of the catalog sits between 119 and 124 BPM · 865 outliers removed by IQR filter.

Median Middle half (Q1–Q3) Edge of range

How tightly does disco hold its tempo?

Half of all disco sits inside a 5 BPM window, 119 to 124. Widen to nine tracks in ten and the band runs 115–126 BPM. Among the disco / funk genres charted below it sits mid-pack: Nu-disco holds to 2 BPM, Funk spreads over 19.

10th percentile 115 · lower quartile 119 · median 122 · upper quartile 124 · 90th percentile 126 BPM

How disco tempo has shifted

Across 920 disco tracks spanning 2015–2026, the median has crept up by 4.5 BPM (from 120 to 124) with the highest median in 2026 (124 BPM) and the lowest in 2016 (117 BPM).

Median per year Inter-quartile band

Why this tempo?

Disco's 110–130 BPM sweet spot emerged from the functional demands of 1970s dancefloors and the constraints of analog production. Four-on-the-floor kick patterns at 120 BPM aligned with the natural human heartbeat during sustained dancing, allowing dancers to lock into groove for extended sets. Studio equipment—drum machines like the TR-808 and live session musicians—favored tempos where horn stabs and string arrangements could breathe between phrases without rushing. The genre's reliance on extended breakdowns and instrumental passages meant slower tempos than later house music; DJs needed room to layer strings, build tension, and let dancers recover. Club sound systems of the era reproduced low-end most faithfully between 110–130 BPM, making kick and bass lock feel physical rather than abstract.

Where your track fits

Three reference points along the BPM axis for disco, with what the position implies about the track.

119BPM

Groovy side

Lower quartile — patient builds, deeper grooves, long blends.

122BPM

Genre centre

Median — what most tracks in the catalog actually sound like.

124BPM

Peak-time edge

Upper quartile — pushes the floor, bridges into faster neighbours.

Where disco sits on the tempo axis

Median BPM of disco compared to neighbouring genres in the same family. Closer medians mean easier cross-genre transitions.

116120124

Popular disco tracks at the median BPM

Catalog tracks within ±2 BPM of 122, sorted by popularity.

Last Train to London

Electric Light Orchestra

Music Sounds Better With You

Groove Is In The Heart - LP Version

Wish I Didn't Miss You

Top disco artists in the catalog

Names you’ll meet often when building disco sets.

Dominant Camelot keys

Where disco producers cluster harmonically. 67% minor · 33% major

8A10.8%5A8.1%7A7.7%9A7.6%6A6.0%10A5.4%8B4.5%3A4.5%

8A is the most crowded key in disco: 10.8% of the 7,209 tracks we have a key for, 6.9× the rarest key in the genre (2B, 1.6%).

Producing disco — tempo notes

›Set your kick and bass lock at 120–124 BPM to anchor the four-on-the-floor pocket; this range lets horn stabs land cleanly on 16th-note subdivisions without sounding rushed.
›Use sidechain compression on strings and pads at a ratio that releases fully by beat 3, preserving the kick's pocket while letting orchestral layers swell into the next phrase.
›Keep breakdowns and instrumental passages at the same BPM; avoid tempo drops. Instead, strip to kick, bass, and a single string line for 8–16 bars to create dynamic contrast.

Mixing disco sets — tempo notes

›When beatmatching disco records, blend over 16–32 bars using the kick and bass as your anchor points; disco's extended breakdowns mean longer blend lengths than house.
›EQ incoming tracks' low-mids (200–400 Hz) down slightly before the mix point to prevent kick clash; disco bass lines sit prominently and need space.
›Use swing or shuffle on your incoming deck's hi-hats (8–12% swing) to match the laid-back pocket of the outgoing track, especially when mixing between 1970s and modern disco edits.

All 122 BPM tracks EDM genre BPM chart BPM for every genre

FAQ

What BPM is Disco?⌄

Has disco's BPM changed over time?⌄

Yes — across the 7,209 tracks we measured, the median has varied year to year. The chart on this page shows the full year-by-year picture.

At what BPM should I produce a disco track?⌄

Anchor your kick at 122 BPM for the genre centre. 124 BPM is the upper-quartile edge if you're producing for peak-time. Below 119 BPM you're outside the middle half of what we measured.

What Camelot keys are most common in disco?⌄

The dominant Camelot keys in our disco catalog are 8A, 5A, 7A. 67% of tracks are in minor keys (A); 33% major (B). 8A is the most crowded key in disco: 10.8% of the 7,209 tracks we have a key for, 6.9× the rarest key in the genre (2B, 1.6%).

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