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Synthwave BPM Chart

Visual BPM chart for Synthwave: core DJ range 80-115 BPM, practical target 100 BPM, and 4 sub-genres. Use it to plan tempo transitions and identify mixing partners.

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Synthwave

80–115BPM
100
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 BPM landscape

scale: 50–140 BPM
Vaporwave60–90
Chillwave80–110
Outrun80–115
Darksynth90–130

Synthwave sub-genres

Outrun

80–115

Highway/driving-themed synthwave subgenre: soundtrack-feel arpeggios and arena-rock drums. Mitch Murder, Lazerhawk, Miami Nights 1984.

Driving arpeggiosArena drumsHighway themesCinematic

Darksynth

90–130

Aggressive horror-tinged synthwave. Perturbator, Carpenter Brut, GosT. John Carpenter scoring DNA. Often crosses into metal-tempo.

Horror moodAggressive synthsJohn Carpenter DNAMetal crossover

Vaporwave

60–90

Slowed/chopped 80s/90s smooth-jazz/lounge samples. Macintosh Plus 'Floral Shoppe', Saint Pepsi. Internet-aesthetic adjacent.

Slowed samples80s/90s loungeInternet aestheticPlunderphonic

Chillwave

80–110

Hazy, dreamy late-2000s indie-electronic: Washed Out, Toro y Moi, Neon Indian. Lo-fi pop with synth nostalgia.

Hazy texturesDream-pop feelLo-fi synths2008-era origin
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.

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.

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 table 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

DJ Overview for Synthwave

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

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

Related Charts

What BPM is Synthwave?Q&A version with mixing tips, common keys, and adjacent-tempo genresOpenCinematic MidtempoAdjacent-tempo genre at 90–110 BPMOpenSkweeeAdjacent-tempo genre at 80–110 BPMOpenEDM genre chartFull BPM landscape across 150+ genresOpenMusic genre treeHierarchical view of how Synthwave relates to other genresOpen

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.

Outrun
80-115 BPM · typical 100
High
High
Long blend, harmonic blend, or drop swap
Darksynth
90-130 BPM · typical 110
High
High
Long blend, harmonic blend, or drop swap
Vaporwave
60-90 BPM · typical 75
High
High
Long blend, harmonic blend, or drop swap
Chillwave
80-110 BPM · typical 95
High
High
Long blend, harmonic blend, or drop swap
Cinematic Midtempo
90-110 BPM · typical 100
High
Medium
Short blend; verify arrangement and energy
Skweee
80-110 BPM · typical 95
High
Medium
Short blend; verify arrangement and energy
Kwaito
95-112 BPM · typical 105
High
Medium
Short blend; verify arrangement and energy
Downtempo
80-115 BPM · typical 95
High
Medium
Short blend; verify arrangement and energy
Ben Modigell

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

Author and Methodology

Maintained by Ben Modigell

Ben is the founder of Vibes and builds DJ library, preparation, BPM, and harmonic-mixing tools for working DJs.

Last updated:

Data used: 4 mapped sub-genres and 7 reference tracks

Report a correction

Evidence: 4 Synthwave sub-genres and 7 reference tracks from a 290-track reference dataset.

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.

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.