What BPM is Future bass?
Future bass has a median tempo of 140 BPM. Half of all future bass sits between 122 and 151 BPM, measured across 8,270 analysed tracks. The genre's editorial range is 140–160 BPM; our catalog sits a little below it.
Bass / Breaks · 2010s — present
Measured 13 August 2026 from 8,270 future bass tracks in our catalog. 1 tempo outlier removed by a Tukey IQR fence. 2,034 tracks were detected at half tempo and corrected to their written BPM. 2,196 tracks (26.6%) 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
140
Middle half
122–151
9 in 10
100–170
Mean
138
Tracks measured
8,270
BPM distribution
8,270 tracks · median 140 BPM · most of the catalog sits between 122 and 151 BPM · 1 outliers removed by IQR filter.
How tightly does future bass hold its tempo?
Half of all future bass sits inside a 29 BPM window, 122 to 151. Widen to nine tracks in ten and the band runs 100–170 BPM. No bass / breaks genre charted below spreads wider — Drum & bass holds to 2 BPM.
10th percentile 100 · lower quartile 122 · median 140 · upper quartile 151 · 90th percentile 170 BPM
How future bass tempo has shifted
Across 3,852 future bass tracks spanning 1988–2026, the median has crept up by 38.0 BPM (from 107 to 145) with the highest median in 1995 (156 BPM) and the lowest in 1988 (107 BPM).
Why this tempo?
Future bass settled into the 140–160 BPM range because it inherited the breakbeats and half-time sensibility of garage and drum-and-bass, then slowed them to half-speed for melodic emphasis. The 150 BPM sweet spot lets producers layer wobble synths and vocal chops without rhythmic congestion, while maintaining enough forward momentum for sustained builds and breakdowns. Trap's influence—particularly its use of swing and syncopation—pushed the genre away from straight 4/4 kick patterns, making the mid-tempo pocket ideal for both headphone production and club dancefloor function where the kick lands hard but doesn't demand constant movement.
Where your track fits
Three reference points along the BPM axis for future 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 future bass sits on the tempo axis
Median BPM of future bass compared to neighbouring genres in the same family. Closer medians mean easier cross-genre transitions.
Popular future bass tracks at the median BPM
Catalog tracks within ±2 BPM of 140, sorted by popularity.
Top future bass artists in the catalog
Names you’ll meet often when building future bass sets.
Producing future bass — tempo notes
- ›Set your sidechain to 16th-note divisions at 150 BPM to tighten wobble synth pumping; this creates the signature rhythmic texture without muddying the kick.
- ›Build vocal chop phrases in 4- or 8-bar blocks; at 155 BPM, a 4-bar loop sits exactly 1.55 seconds, ideal for looping and layering without phase drift.
- ›Lock your kick pattern to a 140–150 BPM foundation with swing between 50–60% to preserve trap influence; push synths slightly ahead of the grid for melodic tension.
Mixing future bass sets — tempo notes
- ›When blending future bass tracks, match tempos within 2 BPM (e.g., 148 to 150) to avoid noticeable pitch shift during beatmatching; use EQ to isolate kick and bass before sync.
- ›Use a 32-bar blend window minimum; future bass builds are melodic and require longer phrase overlap than faster genres to preserve drop impact.
- ›High-pass filter incoming tracks above 80 Hz during transitions to prevent sub-bass clash; future bass relies on clean low-end definition.
FAQ
What BPM is Future bass?⌄
Has future bass's BPM changed over time?⌄
At what BPM should I produce a future bass track?⌄
What Camelot keys are most common in future bass?⌄
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