Bass / Breaks · 1990s UK — present
What BPM is Drum & bass?
Drum & bass sits at 87 BPM at the median, with most tracks around 87 BPM. The genre's editorial range is 170–180 BPM; our catalog measures slightly tighter.
Median BPM
87
Common range
87–87
Mean
87
Tracks measured
904
BPM distribution
904 tracks · median 87 BPM · most of the catalog sits between 87 and 87 BPM · 96 outliers removed by IQR filter.
How drum & bass tempo has shifted
Across 725 drum & bass tracks spanning 2013–2026, the median tempo has stayed remarkably stable with the highest median in 2013 (87 BPM) and the lowest in 2013 (87 BPM).
Why this tempo?
Drum & bass settled at 170–180 BPM in the early 1990s UK rave scene because breakbeat samplers—primarily the Akai S950 and E-mu SP-1200—could time-stretch and layer breaks at that speed without losing definition or becoming unwieldy to chop. The tempo sits fast enough to sustain dancefloor energy through long DJ sets while remaining grounded by sub-bass frequencies (typically 40–80 Hz) that anchor the track physically rather than rhythmically. Half-time variants at 85–90 BPM emerged as a production and mixing tool, allowing producers to construct breakbeats at slower tempos then pitch-shift them up, preserving swing and texture. The speed also reflects hardware sequencer limitations and vinyl turntable pitch-range conventions of the era.
Where your track fits
Three reference points along the BPM axis for drum & bass, 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.
Peak-time edge
Upper quartile — pushes the floor, bridges into faster neighbours.
Where drum & bass sits on the tempo axis
Median BPM of drum & bass compared to neighbouring genres in the same family. Closer medians mean easier cross-genre transitions.
Drum & bass
87 BPMLiquid DnB
87 BPMJungle
87 BPMUK garage
132 BPMDubstep
140 BPM
Popular drum & bass tracks at the median BPM
Catalog tracks within ±2 BPM of 87, sorted by popularity.
Top drum & bass artists in the catalog
Names you’ll meet often when building drum & bass sets.
Producing drum & bass — tempo notes
- ›Chop breakbeats at 170–180 BPM to preserve articulation; anything slower risks losing the snare snap and kick definition that sit above the bass.
- ›Layer sub-bass locked to a sine wave at 50–60 Hz with sidechain compression keyed to the kick, not the entire drum pattern, to maintain groove separation.
- ›Build half-time breaks at 85–90 BPM, then resample and pitch-shift up to 170–180 BPM to retain swing and micro-timing without manual re-chopping.
Mixing drum & bass sets — tempo notes
- ›Use 8-bar blend lengths when mixing two tracks at 170–180 BPM; breakbeats repeat in short cycles, so shorter blends prevent phrase collision.
- ›EQ out 200–400 Hz on incoming tracks during transitions to prevent kick and snare mud; drum & bass kicks sit tight around 60–100 Hz.
- ›Cue breakbeat kicks by ear rather than visual waveform alignment; the swing and ghost notes shift the perceived downbeat away from the grid.