What BPM is Progressive trance?

Progressive trance has a median tempo of 128 BPM. Half of all progressive trance sits between 125 and 130 BPM, measured across 578 analysed tracks. The genre's editorial range is 128–138 BPM; our catalog sits a little below it.

Trance · 1990s — present

Measured 13 August 2026 from 578 progressive trance tracks in our catalog. 65 tempo outliers removed by a Tukey IQR fence. No track needed a half-time correction. 67 tracks (11.6%) 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

128

Middle half

125–130

9 in 10

124–132

Mean

128

Tracks measured

578

BPM distribution

578 tracks · median 128 BPM · most of the catalog sits between 125 and 130 BPM · 65 outliers removed by IQR filter.

Median Middle half (Q1–Q3) Edge of range

How tightly does progressive trance hold its tempo?

Half of all progressive trance sits inside a 5 BPM window, 125 to 130. Widen to nine tracks in ten and the band runs 124–132 BPM. Among the trance genres charted below it sits mid-pack: Uplifting trance holds to 2 BPM, Trance spreads over 10.

10th percentile 124 · lower quartile 125 · median 128 · upper quartile 130 · 90th percentile 132 BPM

Why this tempo?

Progressive trance settled at 128–138 BPM because it inherits trance's hypnotic kick foundation while adopting house music's patience with arrangement. The 128 BPM floor matches four-on-the-floor kick spacing that feels natural on 1990s drum machines and modern controllers alike. The upper range—creeping toward 138—accommodates longer melodic phrases and extended breakdowns without losing dancefloor momentum. This tempo range lets producers stretch eight- and sixteen-bar builds across meaningful time, differentiating progressive trance from peak-time trance's faster climbs. The speed is deliberate: fast enough to sustain energy across a four-hour set, slow enough to layer synth pads, arpeggios, and filtered basslines without rhythmic collision.

Where your track fits

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

125BPM

Groovy side

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

128BPM

Genre centre

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

130BPM

Peak-time edge

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

Where progressive trance sits on the tempo axis

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

124128132136140144

Popular progressive trance tracks at the median BPM

Catalog tracks within ±2 BPM of 128, sorted by popularity.

Need To Feel Loved feat. Delline Bass - Adam K & Soha Vocal Mix

Saltwater feat. Moya Brennan - Extended Mix

Top progressive trance artists in the catalog

Names you’ll meet often when building progressive trance sets.

Dominant Camelot keys

Where progressive trance producers cluster harmonically. 69% minor · 31% major

4A8.7%8A7.6%5A7.4%9A6.9%11A6.7%7A6.6%6A6.2%3A5.0%

4A is the most crowded key in progressive trance: 8.7% of the 578 tracks we have a key for, 10.0× the rarest key in the genre (3B, 0.9%).

Producing progressive trance — tempo notes

›Build kicks and bass at 132 BPM with swing on the hi-hat to avoid mechanical rigidity; progressive trance rewards groove over metronomic precision.
›Use sixteen-bar phrase boundaries as your structural unit; at 128–138 BPM, this gives you 32–40 seconds per section, ideal for filter sweeps and sidechain depth.
›Pitch-shift melodic elements down 1–2 semitones during breakdowns to maintain hypnotic pull while reducing energy; reintroduce at original pitch for impact.

Mixing progressive trance sets — tempo notes

›Blend tracks over 32–48 bars at 132 BPM; progressive trance's longer builds demand extended EQ transitions rather than sharp cuts.
›Use sidechain compression on pad layers at 128 BPM quarter-note intervals to lock them to the kick without drowning melodic content.
›Loop the incoming track's breakdown section for 2–3 cycles before introducing your outgoing track's main element; this respects the genre's restraint.

All 128 BPM tracks EDM genre BPM chart BPM for every genre

FAQ

What BPM is Progressive trance?⌄

Has progressive trance's BPM changed over time?⌄

We don't have enough year-stamped catalog tracks yet to draw a confident evolution curve. The current median is 128 BPM.

At what BPM should I produce a progressive trance track?⌄

Anchor your kick at 128 BPM for the genre centre. 130 BPM is the upper-quartile edge if you're producing for peak-time. Below 125 BPM you're outside the middle half of what we measured.

What Camelot keys are most common in progressive trance?⌄

The dominant Camelot keys in our progressive trance catalog are 4A, 8A, 5A. 69% of tracks are in minor keys (A); 31% major (B). 4A is the most crowded key in progressive trance: 8.7% of the 578 tracks we have a key for, 10.0× the rarest key in the genre (3B, 0.9%).

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