What BPM is Psytrance?

Psytrance has a median tempo of 142 BPM. Half of all psytrance sits between 138 and 145 BPM, measured across 12,695 analysed tracks. The genre's editorial range is 138–148 BPM; our catalog measures slightly tighter.

Trance · 1990s Goa — present

Measured 13 August 2026 from 12,695 psytrance tracks in our catalog. 3,062 tempo outliers removed by a Tukey IQR fence. 1,080 tracks were detected at half tempo and corrected to their written BPM. 2,396 tracks (18.9%) 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

142

Middle half

138–145

9 in 10

135–147

Mean

141

Tracks measured

12,695

BPM distribution

12,695 tracks · median 142 BPM · most of the catalog sits between 138 and 145 BPM · 3062 outliers removed by IQR filter.

Median Middle half (Q1–Q3) Edge of range

How tightly does psytrance hold its tempo?

Half of all psytrance sits inside a 7 BPM window, 138 to 145. Widen to nine tracks in ten and the band runs 135–147 BPM. Among the trance genres charted below it sits mid-pack: Uplifting trance holds to 2 BPM, Trance spreads over 10.

10th percentile 135 · lower quartile 138 · median 142 · upper quartile 145 · 90th percentile 147 BPM

How psytrance tempo has shifted

Across 4,340 psytrance tracks spanning 2005–2026, the median tempo has stayed remarkably stable with the highest median in 2024 (144 BPM) and the lowest in 2008 (138 BPM).

Median per year Inter-quartile band

Why this tempo?

Psytrance settled at 138–148 BPM because the tempo sits above house's physicality yet below drum-and-bass's breakneck complexity, creating space for intricate layering without losing dancefloor momentum. The Goa scene of the 1990s inherited this sweet spot from early trance pioneers; the range accommodates both acid-line countermelody and the hypnotic repetition essential to forest-festival aesthetics. At these tempos, kick patterns lock into polyrhythmic subdivisions that feel natural on hardware sequencers, while the 16th-note hi-hat rolls and snare rolls remain articulate rather than blurred. The tempo also allows DJs to extend breakdowns and build tension across 32–64 bar phrases without losing crowd energy—critical for the genre's trance-state function.

Where your track fits

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

138BPM

Groovy side

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

142BPM

Genre centre

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

145BPM

Peak-time edge

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

Where psytrance sits on the tempo axis

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

124128132136140144

Popular psytrance tracks at the median BPM

Catalog tracks within ±2 BPM of 142, sorted by popularity.

Free Tibet - Vini Vici Remix

Corpo e Canção (feat. Letícia Fialho) - Festival Mix

Top psytrance artists in the catalog

Names you’ll meet often when building psytrance sets.

Dominant Camelot keys

Where psytrance producers cluster harmonically. 27% minor · 73% major

9B10.2%7B9.6%2B8.3%4B7.9%5B7.6%12B7.6%11B6.5%6B5.1%

9B is the most crowded key in psytrance: 10.2% of the 12,692 tracks we have a key for, 10.2× the rarest key in the genre (10A, 1.0%).

Producing psytrance — tempo notes

›Anchor your acid bassline to 138–142 BPM for clarity; faster tempos (145–148) demand tighter filter automation to prevent mud when layering multiple synth lines.
›Use 16th-note swing (50–65% swing depth) on hi-hats and percussion to humanise the mechanical feel; at 140 BPM, this creates the rolling, hypnotic texture without losing pocket.
›Build breakdowns over 32 or 64 bars; at 143 BPM, a 64-bar strip-down followed by a 16-bar reintroduction of the kick maintains tension without stalling forward motion.

Mixing psytrance sets — tempo notes

›Blend tracks over 16–24 bars using EQ isolation; at 142 BPM, isolate the incoming acid line in the 500 Hz–2 kHz band before bringing in the full kick to avoid phase clash.
›Sidechain compress the bass to the kick with a 50–80 ms release; at 145 BPM, longer release times (80 ms) let the bass breathe between kick hits without losing definition.
›Use the filter knob to ride the incoming track's top end during the last 8 bars of a phrase; this prevents buildup fatigue during extended peak-time sets.

All 142 BPM tracks EDM genre BPM chart BPM for every genre

FAQ

What BPM is Psytrance?⌄

Has psytrance's BPM changed over time?⌄

Yes — across the 12,695 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 psytrance track?⌄

Anchor your kick at 142 BPM for the genre centre. 145 BPM is the upper-quartile edge if you're producing for peak-time. Below 138 BPM you're outside the middle half of what we measured.

What Camelot keys are most common in psytrance?⌄

The dominant Camelot keys in our psytrance catalog are 9B, 7B, 2B. 27% of tracks are in minor keys (A); 73% major (B). 9B is the most crowded key in psytrance: 10.2% of the 12,692 tracks we have a key for, 10.2× the rarest key in the genre (10A, 1.0%).

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