House · 1990s UK — present
What BPM is Progressive house?
Progressive house sits at 124 BPM at the median, with most tracks between 122 and 126 BPM. The genre's editorial range is 122–130 BPM; our catalog measures slightly tighter.
Median BPM
124
Common range
122–126
Mean
124
Tracks measured
961
BPM distribution
961 tracks · median 124 BPM · most of the catalog sits between 122 and 126 BPM · 39 outliers removed by IQR filter.
How progressive house tempo has shifted
Across 656 progressive house tracks spanning 2013–2026, the median has eased down by 4.0 BPM (from 128 to 124) with the highest median in 2013 (128 BPM) and the lowest in 2017 (123 BPM).
Why this tempo?
Progressive house settled at 122–130 BPM because the tempo sits between house's four-on-the-floor drive and the space needed for extended arrangements. The 1990s UK scene—Sasha, Digweed, Renaissance compilations—built identity around 20–30 minute tracks with layered breakdowns and architectural peaks. At this tempo, kick patterns remain locked to dancefloor pulse without forcing rapid hi-hat or snare subdivision. Vinyl decks and early digital controllers favored this range for beatmatching precision. The BPM range also allows 16 and 32-bar phrase boundaries to feel both deliberate and inevitable, essential when builds stretch across minutes rather than seconds.
Where your track fits
Three reference points along the BPM axis for progressive house, 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 progressive house sits on the tempo axis
Median BPM of progressive house compared to neighbouring genres in the same family. Closer medians mean easier cross-genre transitions.
Popular progressive house tracks at the median BPM
Catalog tracks within ±2 BPM of 124, sorted by popularity.
Top progressive house artists in the catalog
Names you’ll meet often when building progressive house sets.
Producing progressive house — tempo notes
- ›Build sidechain depth gradually across 32 bars rather than hitting full compression at 124 BPM; let the kick's impact grow as the breakdown approaches.
- ›Use swing on offbeat percussion (typically 55–65% swing) to create tension against the straight kick at 126 BPM; this counterpoint sustains listener attention during long builds.
- ›Pitch-shift melodic elements up 2–4 semitones during the final 8 bars before the peak at 128 BPM to signal arrival without tempo change.
Mixing progressive house sets — tempo notes
- ›Blend tracks across 64 bars minimum when mixing at 124 BPM; overlap breakdowns so the incoming track's filtered intro masks the outgoing kick's exit.
- ›Use high-pass filtering on the incoming track's low end during the blend to avoid kick clash; reintroduce bass frequencies only after the outgoing track's peak has decayed.
- ›Cue the next track's breakdown, not its peak, to maintain narrative momentum; at 122 BPM, a 16-bar filtered intro gives time for crowd recognition without stalling energy.
FAQ
What BPM is Progressive house?⌄
Has progressive house's BPM changed over time?⌄
At what BPM should I produce a progressive house track?⌄
What Camelot keys are most common in progressive house?⌄
Plan a chemistry-scored set