Genre Guides

Techno BPM Chart

Q: What is the BPM range of Techno?

Techno ranges from 130 to 150 BPM, with 138 BPM as a practical DJ target.

Q: What sub-genres of Techno have which BPMs?

Techno has 16 documented sub-genres in our taxonomy. Highlights: Detroit Techno (128-140 BPM), Minimal Techno (125-135 BPM), Industrial Techno (135-150 BPM), Acid Techno (130-145 BPM).

Q: How does Techno BPM compare to Trance?

Techno typically runs 138 BPM and Trance runs 138 BPM: close enough to bridge in mix sets, especially during breakdowns. Their full ranges (130-150 vs 128-150) overlap where natural transitions live.

Visual BPM chart for Techno: core DJ range 130-150 BPM, practical target 138 BPM, and 16 sub-genres. Use it to plan tempo transitions and identify mixing partners.

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Techno BPM Reference

Techno: 130-150 BPM, typical 138 BPM.

Genre	BPM Range	Typical BPM	Notes
Techno	130-150	138	Originated in Detroit in the mid-1980s. Driven by repetitive, mechanical rhythms and futuristic synth textures. Designed for dark, immersive dancefloors.
Ambient Techno	100-130	120	Atmospheric techno that prioritizes texture and mood over drive. Aphex Twin (Selected Ambient Works), B12, Biosphere, The Black Dog.
Bleep Techno	120-130	125	Early-90s UK Yorkshire techno: Warp Records' formative sound. Sub-bass, melodic bleeps, and Detroit influence. LFO, Nightmares on Wax, Sweet Exorcist.
Melodic Techno	122-132	126	Emotional melodies over driving techno rhythms. Popularized by Tale Of Us, Afterlife label, and festival main stages. Maceo Plex, Massano, Anyma.
Dub Techno	120-135	128	Combines techno with dub reggae techniques: heavy reverb, delay chains, and dubby chord stabs create a meditative, spacious sound. Basic Channel, Rhythm & Sound, DeepChord.
Minimal Techno	125-135	130	Stripped to essentials: sparse arrangements, subtle percussion, and hypnotic repetition. Less is more. Plastikman, Robert Hood, Ricardo Villalobos.
Broken Techno	125-138	130	Techno built on broken beats and irregular kick patterns instead of strict 4/4. Bruce, Batu, Pessimist, Livity Sound territory. UK bass-meets-techno.
Tribal Techno	130-138	134	Drum-heavy techno with tribal percussion patterns and global drum influences. Adam Beyer's early Drumcode, Joel Mull, Marco Carola territory.
Detroit Techno	128-140	135	The original techno sound. Melodic, soulful, and forward-looking: influenced by Kraftwerk, funk, and sci-fi. Belleville Three: Juan Atkins, Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson.
Birmingham Techno	130-142	135	Dark, mechanical UK techno school: Surgeon, Regis, British Murder Boys, Female. Downwards label sound built on dystopian repetition.
Peak Time Techno	132-140	135	Beatport's catch-all for festival-ready, dancefloor-focused techno: Charlotte de Witte, Amelie Lens, Adam Beyer territory. Driving but melodic enough for big rooms.
Raw Techno	130-142	135	Stripped, lo-fi techno with raw analog warmth. Berghain-aligned but drier: Answer Code Request, Kobosil, Fadi Mohem.
Hypnotic Techno	130-142	135	Long, looping, trance-inducing techno built on subtle evolution. Donato Dozzy, Voices From The Lake, early Nina Kraviz Trip releases.
Acid Techno	130-145	138	Merges techno's drive with the squelchy TB-303 acid sound. Intense, psychedelic, and rave-oriented. Stay Up Forever, Liberator DJs.
Industrial Techno	135-150	142	Raw, abrasive, and uncompromising. Distorted kicks, metallic textures, and relentless intensity. Perc, Ancient Methods, Blawan.
Hard Techno	145-160	150	Faster, harder, louder. Pounding kicks, screeching synths, and aggressive energy for peak-time dancefloors. SPFDJ, Sara Landry, Hector Oaks.
Schranz	145-160	150	German hard techno offshoot known for hammering, distorted kicks and minimal melodic content. Chris Liebing's Frankfurt sound, late-90s Cocoon era.

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

Techno

130–150BPM

138

90170

Originated in Detroit in the mid-1980s. Driven by repetitive, mechanical rhythms and futuristic synth textures. Designed for dark, immersive dancefloors.

Repetitive rhythmsMechanical feelDark atmosphereFuturistic synths

Sub-genre BPM landscape

scale: 90–170 BPM

Ambient Techno100–130

Bleep Techno120–130

Melodic Techno122–132

Dub Techno120–135

Minimal Techno125–135

Broken Techno125–138

Tribal Techno130–138

Detroit Techno128–140

Birmingham Techno130–142

Peak Time Techno132–140

Raw Techno130–142

Hypnotic Techno130–142

Acid Techno130–145

Industrial Techno135–150

Hard Techno145–160

Schranz145–160

Techno sub-genres

Detroit Techno

128–140

The original techno sound. Melodic, soulful, and forward-looking: influenced by Kraftwerk, funk, and sci-fi. Belleville Three: Juan Atkins, Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson.

Melodic synthsSoulful undertonesFuturistic themesFunk influence

Minimal Techno

125–135

Stripped to essentials: sparse arrangements, subtle percussion, and hypnotic repetition. Less is more. Plastikman, Robert Hood, Ricardo Villalobos.

Sparse arrangementsSubtle variationHypnotic loopsClick percussion

Industrial Techno

135–150

Raw, abrasive, and uncompromising. Distorted kicks, metallic textures, and relentless intensity. Perc, Ancient Methods, Blawan.

Distorted kicksMetallic texturesNoise elementsRelentless energy

Acid Techno

130–145

Merges techno's drive with the squelchy TB-303 acid sound. Intense, psychedelic, and rave-oriented. Stay Up Forever, Liberator DJs.

TB-303 acid linesPsychedelic texturesRave energyDriving rhythm

Dub Techno

120–135

Combines techno with dub reggae techniques: heavy reverb, delay chains, and dubby chord stabs create a meditative, spacious sound. Basic Channel, Rhythm & Sound, DeepChord.

Heavy reverbDelay chainsDubby chordsMeditative feel

Hard Techno

145–160

Faster, harder, louder. Pounding kicks, screeching synths, and aggressive energy for peak-time dancefloors. SPFDJ, Sara Landry, Hector Oaks.

Pounding kicksScreeching synthsHigh energyAggressive textures

Schranz

145–160

German hard techno offshoot known for hammering, distorted kicks and minimal melodic content. Chris Liebing's Frankfurt sound, late-90s Cocoon era.

Hammering kicksHeavy distortionTool-track structureGerman peak-time

Birmingham Techno

130–142

Dark, mechanical UK techno school: Surgeon, Regis, British Murder Boys, Female. Downwards label sound built on dystopian repetition.

Mechanical feelDystopian moodStripped percussionDownwards aesthetic

Peak Time Techno

132–140

Beatport's catch-all for festival-ready, dancefloor-focused techno: Charlotte de Witte, Amelie Lens, Adam Beyer territory. Driving but melodic enough for big rooms.

Driving energyFestival mainstageBig-room mixBeatport top-100

Raw Techno

130–142

Stripped, lo-fi techno with raw analog warmth. Berghain-aligned but drier: Answer Code Request, Kobosil, Fadi Mohem.

Lo-fi warmthStripped arrangementAnalog gritBerlin aesthetic

Hypnotic Techno

130–142

Long, looping, trance-inducing techno built on subtle evolution. Donato Dozzy, Voices From The Lake, early Nina Kraviz Trip releases.

Long evolutionTrance-inducing loopsSubtle modulationDeep listening

Bleep Techno

120–130

Early-90s UK Yorkshire techno: Warp Records' formative sound. Sub-bass, melodic bleeps, and Detroit influence. LFO, Nightmares on Wax, Sweet Exorcist.

Sub-bassMelodic bleepsWarp aestheticYorkshire roots

Tribal Techno

130–138

Drum-heavy techno with tribal percussion patterns and global drum influences. Adam Beyer's early Drumcode, Joel Mull, Marco Carola territory.

Tribal percussionDrum-ledHypnotic groovePolyrhythms

Ambient Techno

100–130

Atmospheric techno that prioritizes texture and mood over drive. Aphex Twin (Selected Ambient Works), B12, Biosphere, The Black Dog.

Atmospheric texturesReduced kickMood-ledDeep listening

Broken Techno

125–138

Techno built on broken beats and irregular kick patterns instead of strict 4/4. Bruce, Batu, Pessimist, Livity Sound territory. UK bass-meets-techno.

Broken kick patternsUK bass influenceIrregular drumsPolyrhythmic

Melodic Techno

122–132

Emotional melodies over driving techno rhythms. Popularized by Tale Of Us, Afterlife label, and festival main stages. Maceo Plex, Massano, Anyma.

Emotional melodiesAtmospheric padsDriving rhythmCinematic builds

Core DJ range: 130–150 BPM
Practical target: 138 BPM
Track spread: 120–139 BPM
Track evidence: View 29 reference tracks

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

About Techno BPM

Originated in Detroit in the mid-1980s. Driven by repetitive, mechanical rhythms and futuristic synth textures. Designed for dark, immersive dancefloors. The core DJ range spans 130-150, with 138 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 Techno BPM in DJ Software

Techno is usually mixed around 130-150 BPM, with 138 BPM as a practical DJ target. The reference tracks on this page span 120-139 BPM, so use the grid that makes loops and phrase markers line up cleanly.

130-150 BPM

Core Techno DJ range

Beatmatch normally, then check phrasing around intros, breaks, and drops.

65-75 BPM

Halftime interpretation of the core range

Double the grid if 8-bar loops or cue points feel too slow.

138 BPM

Practical target for crate filtering

Use as a starting point, then sort by energy, key, and arrangement.

< 130 BPM

Slower adjacent or bridge records

Treat as tempo bridges unless the grid doubles cleanly into the core range.

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: 14
Track spread: 120-139 BPM
Below core range: 8 tracks
Inside core range: 6 tracks
Above core range: 0 tracks
Mean of shown tracks: 129 BPM
Median of shown tracks: 126 BPM
Evidence level: 14 tracks, 6 core examples

DJ Overview for Techno

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

Sound palette

Repetitive rhythms, Mechanical feel, Dark atmosphere, Futuristic synths

Drum feel

130-150 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

builds, drops, and higher-energy transitions

Often compared with

Acid Techno, Detroit Techno, Birmingham Techno

Tracks in Techno, by Sub-Genre

Real tracks in our reference set, grouped by sub-genre:

Detroit Techno(128–140 BPM)

Big Fun (Remastered)

Inner City, Kevin Saunderson

122

At Les - Christian Smith's Hypnotica Remix

Carl Craig, Christian Smith

126

Master Builder

Robert Hood

For working DJs

Build better DJ crates in Vibes

Tag tracks by vibe, energy, role, and set context before your next set.

Discover Vibes

Minimal Techno(125–135 BPM)

Black Truffles In The Snow

Loco Dice

123

Amael

Pier Bucci, Luciano

128

Minus/Orange 1

Richie Hawtin

133

Hard Techno(145–160 BPM)

Selected

Charlotte de Witte

133

10A

Daydream

I Hate Models

136

10A

Melodic Techno(122–132 BPM)

Notte senza fine - Kiasmos Remix

Tale Of Us, Kiasmos

120

Solar Detroit

Maceo Plex

121

Tataki

Argy

122

10B

X

Adriatique

123

10A

Boavista - Innellea's Arp Attachement

Stephan Bodzin, Innellea

124

The Feeling

Massano

124

10A

Welcome To The Opera (with Grimes)

Anyma, Grimes

125

Mix Into Techno

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.

Detroit Techno

128-140 BPM · typical 135

High