What BPM is Tech trance?
Tech trance has a median tempo of 140 BPM. Half of all tech trance sits between 136 and 140 BPM, measured across 823 analysed tracks. The genre's editorial range is 138–145 BPM; our catalog sits a little below it.
Trance · 2000s — present
Measured 13 August 2026 from 823 tech trance tracks in our catalog. 69 tempo outliers removed by a Tukey IQR fence. No track needed a half-time correction. 24 tracks (2.9%) 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
140
Middle half
136–140
9 in 10
132–142
Mean
138
Tracks measured
823
BPM distribution
823 tracks · median 140 BPM · most of the catalog sits between 136 and 140 BPM · 69 outliers removed by IQR filter.
How tightly does tech trance hold its tempo?
Half of all tech trance sits inside a 4 BPM window, 136 to 140. Widen to nine tracks in ten and the band runs 132–142 BPM. Among the trance genres charted below it sits mid-pack: Uplifting trance holds to 2 BPM, Trance spreads over 10.
10th percentile 132 · lower quartile 136 · median 140 · upper quartile 140 · 90th percentile 142 BPM
How tech trance tempo has shifted
Across 166 tech trance tracks spanning 2017–2025, the median has crept up by 2.0 BPM (from 138 to 140) with the highest median in 2025 (140 BPM) and the lowest in 2017 (138 BPM).
Why this tempo?
Tech trance emerged in the early 2000s as producers grafted techno's stripped-down drum architecture and industrial textures onto trance's four-on-the-floor momentum, settling at 138–145 BPM. This tempo sits above mainline trance (130–135 BPM) to accommodate faster kick patterns and breakbeat-inflected hi-hat rolls without sacrificing the genre's hypnotic, peak-time function. The range reflects hardware constraints of the era—drum machines and samplers operated efficiently at these speeds—and dancefloor physics: fast enough to sustain energy through extended breakdowns and filter sweeps, slow enough that sidechain compression and kick-snare separation remain audible. The genre thrived in techno-forward clubs where melodic restraint and driving repetition took precedence over trance's harmonic progression.
Where your track fits
Three reference points along the BPM axis for tech trance, 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.
Where tech trance sits on the tempo axis
Median BPM of tech trance compared to neighbouring genres in the same family. Closer medians mean easier cross-genre transitions.
Popular tech trance tracks at the median BPM
Catalog tracks within ±2 BPM of 140, sorted by popularity.
Top tech trance artists in the catalog
Names you’ll meet often when building tech trance sets.
Producing tech trance — tempo notes
- ›Lock your kick pattern at 141 BPM with a tight, punchy attack (2–4 ms) to cut through dense synth layers; use sidechain compression on pads at a ratio of 4:1 to preserve groove definition.
- ›Build breakdowns around 16- or 32-bar phrase boundaries; introduce filter sweeps and reversed cymbals at 138–142 BPM to maintain tension without dropping below the genre's energy floor.
- ›Layer hi-hats with swing between 50–55% to add groove without destabilising the kick's pocket; keep the swing subtle to preserve the driving, metronomic character tech trance demands.
Mixing tech trance sets — tempo notes
- ›Blend incoming tracks over 16–24 bars at 140 BPM using EQ isolation: kill mids on the outgoing track's pads while bringing in the incoming kick, then reintroduce filtered highs to mask the transition.
- ›Use a tight, tempo-locked sidechain (attack 10 ms, release 150 ms) on your master channel to lock both tracks' kick pocket together during the blend; tech trance's minimal melodic content demands rhythmic precision.
- ›Cue breakdowns at the 32-bar mark; tech trance audiences expect peak-time energy to resume without extended build-ups, so plan your mix to drop back into the kick within one phrase boundary.
FAQ
What BPM is Tech trance?⌄
Has tech trance's BPM changed over time?⌄
At what BPM should I produce a tech trance track?⌄
What Camelot keys are most common in tech trance?⌄
Plan a chemistry-scored set