Genre Guides

Synthwave BPM Chart

Quick answer

What is the Synthwave BPM range?

A visual BPM chart for Synthwave and its 4 sub-genres: compare tempo bands side by side, spot where ranges overlap, and pick mixing partners before planning transitions.

Synthwave spans 80 to 115 BPM, with 100 BPM as the practical DJ target. Across its 4 sub-genres, Vaporwave is the slowest at 60-90 BPM and Darksynth the fastest at 90-130 BPM.

DJ-ready reference
Printable
Methodology included

Synthwave BPM Reference

Synthwave: 80-115 BPM, typical 100 BPM.

Genre	BPM Range	Typical BPM	Notes
Synthwave	80-115	100	80s-inspired retro electronica: gated reverb drums, FM-synth pads, neon nostalgia. Kavinsky's Drive soundtrack era. The Midnight, FM-84.
Vaporwave	60-90	75	Slowed/chopped 80s/90s smooth-jazz/lounge samples. Macintosh Plus 'Floral Shoppe', Saint Pepsi. Internet-aesthetic adjacent.
Chillwave	80-110	95	Hazy, dreamy late-2000s indie-electronic: Washed Out, Toro y Moi, Neon Indian. Lo-fi pop with synth nostalgia.
Outrun	80-115	100	Highway/driving-themed synthwave subgenre: soundtrack-feel arpeggios and arena-rock drums. Mitch Murder, Lazerhawk, Miami Nights 1984.
Darksynth	90-130	110	Aggressive horror-tinged synthwave. Perturbator, Carpenter Brut, GosT. John Carpenter scoring DNA. Often crosses into metal-tempo.

vibesdj.io/dj-tools - BPM ranges are practical DJ references, not strict genre boundaries.

Synthwave

80-115BPM

50140

80s-inspired retro electronica: gated reverb drums, FM-synth pads, neon nostalgia. Kavinsky's Drive soundtrack era. The Midnight, FM-84.

80s synthsGated reverb drumsNeon nostalgiaDrive aesthetic

Sub-genre tempo spectrum

4 styles

5075100125

Vaporwave

60-90

Chillwave

80-110

Outrun

80-115

Darksynth

90-130

Core DJ range: 80–115 BPM
Practical target: 100 BPM
Track spread: 86–147 BPM
Track evidence: View 7 reference tracks

Chart ranges are DJ planning references. Check the grid and phrase markers on the exact track edit before mixing.

About Synthwave BPM

80s-inspired retro electronica: gated reverb drums, FM-synth pads, neon nostalgia. Kavinsky's Drive soundtrack era. The Midnight, FM-84. The core DJ range spans 80-115, with 100 BPM as a practical target. Sub-genres split the parent genre into narrower tempo bands, which is why this chart is more useful than one number alone.

Reading the grid

How to Read Synthwave BPM in DJ Software

Synthwave is usually mixed around 80-115 BPM, with 100 BPM as a practical DJ target. The reference tracks on this page span 86-147 BPM, so use the grid that makes loops and phrase markers line up cleanly.

How to read Synthwave BPM values in DJ software
Reading	Meaning	Action
80-115 BPM	Core Synthwave DJ range	Beatmatch normally, then check phrasing around intros, breaks, and drops.
40-58 BPM	Halftime interpretation of the core range	Double the grid if 8-bar loops or cue points feel too slow.
100 BPM	Practical target for crate filtering	Use as a starting point, then sort by energy, key, and arrangement.
> 115 BPM	Faster outliers or double-time readings	Check whether the track behaves better as halftime before using it as a fast transition.

Track Evidence

This rail separates the core DJ range from the tracks shown here, so the page can be useful without hiding bridge records or outliers.

Tracks shown: 7
Track spread: 86-147 BPM
Below core range: 0 tracks
Inside core range: 4 tracks
Above core range: 3 tracks
Mean of shown tracks: 114 BPM
Median of shown tracks: 114 BPM
Evidence level: Limited but reviewed: 7 tracks, 4 core examples

Counts describe the reference tracks resolved on this page, not every record in the genre.

DJ Overview for Synthwave

Use this as a mixing and library-prep description, not an encyclopedia entry.

DJ overview for Synthwave
Aspect	Detail
Sound palette	80s synths, Gated reverb drums, Neon nostalgia, Drive aesthetic
Drum feel	80-115 BPM core range; check whether slower readings work better doubled or as halftime.
Arrangement and phrasing	Confirm intro, build, drop, breakdown, and outro cue points before trusting the analyzer value.
Energy use in a set	warmup, groove section, or crossover bridge
Often compared with	Outrun, Chillwave, Darksynth

Tracks in Synthwave

#TrackKeyBPMNRGLenKey·BPM

Tech Noir

Gunship, John Carpenter, Charlie Simpson

6B86624:576B86

Nightcall

Kavinsky

8A91874:188A91

Future Club

Perturbator

4A100964:494A100

Sunset

The Midnight

8B114715:278B114

Riot

Dance With the Dead

1B130883:471B130

Overdrive

Lazerhawk

3A133954:313A133

Turbo Killer

Carpenter Brut

4A147763:294A147

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Mix Into Synthwave

Tempo overlap is only one part of the decision. These suggestions separate BPM fit from style fit so same-tempo but unrelated genres do not look like natural transitions.

Genres to mix into Synthwave
Genre	BPM fit	Style fit	Transition
Outrun80-115 BPM · typical 100	High	High	Long blend, harmonic blend, or drop swap
Darksynth90-130 BPM · typical 110	High	High	Long blend, harmonic blend, or drop swap
Vaporwave60-90 BPM · typical 75	High	High	Long blend, harmonic blend, or drop swap
Chillwave80-110 BPM · typical 95	High	High	Long blend, harmonic blend, or drop swap
Cinematic Midtempo90-110 BPM · typical 100	High	Medium	Short blend; verify arrangement and energy
Skweee80-110 BPM · typical 95	High	Medium	Short blend; verify arrangement and energy
Kwaito95-112 BPM · typical 105	High	Medium	Short blend; verify arrangement and energy
Downtempo80-115 BPM · typical 95	High	Medium	Short blend; verify arrangement and energy

Hey, it's Ben Modigell 👋

I've been DJing and producing music as "so I so," focusing on downtempo, minimal, dub house, tech house, and techno. My background in digital marketing, web development, and UX design over the past 6 years helps me create DJ tutorials that are clear, practical, and easy to follow.

DJingMusic ProductionTech HouseMinimal HouseDigital MarketingWeb DevelopmentUX Design

Methodology

Last updated May 11, 2026

Author and Methodology

Maintained by Ben Modigell, founder of Vibes. Ben builds DJ library, preparation, BPM, and harmonic-mixing tools for working DJs.

Data used: 4 mapped sub-genres and 7 reference tracks
Source: Audio features sourced from ReccoBeats (https://reccobeats.com); track metadata via Spotify Search API. Spotify deprecated audio-features for new apps in Nov 2024. Manual label reference tracks use Beatport BPM/key metadata where available.
Evidence: 4 Synthwave sub-genres and 7 reference tracks from a 391-track reference dataset.
How this page is made: This chart is generated from the Vibes genre taxonomy and reference track metadata where available. AI-assisted research helped draft taxonomy notes; chart ranges and tables are rendered from structured data.

Chart ranges are designed for DJ set planning. Producers can release tracks outside these ranges, especially remixes, VIP edits, live versions, and halftime arrangements.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Synthwave ranges from 80 to 115 BPM, with 100 BPM as a practical DJ target.

Synthwave has 4 documented sub-genres in our taxonomy. Highlights: Outrun (80-115 BPM), Darksynth (90-130 BPM), Vaporwave (60-90 BPM), Chillwave (80-110 BPM).

Synthwave typically runs 100 BPM and Cinematic Midtempo runs 100 BPM: close enough to bridge in mix sets, especially during breakdowns. Their full ranges (80-115 vs 90-110) overlap where natural transitions live.