Techno BPM Chart
Quick answer
What is the Techno BPM range?
A visual BPM chart for Techno and its 16 sub-genres: compare tempo bands side by side, spot where ranges overlap, and pick mixing partners before planning transitions.
- DJ-ready reference
- Printable
- Methodology included
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
Originated in Detroit in the mid-1980s. Driven by repetitive, mechanical rhythms and futuristic synth textures. Designed for dark, immersive dancefloors.
Sub-genre tempo spectrum
16 styles- Core DJ range
- 130–150 BPM
- Practical target
- 138 BPM
- Track spread
- 112–139 BPM
- Track evidence
- View 30 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.
Reading the grid
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 112-139 BPM, so use the grid that makes loops and phrase markers line up cleanly.
| Reading | Meaning | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 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 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
- 16
- Track spread
- 112-139 BPM
- Below core range
- 9 tracks
- Inside core range
- 7 tracks
- Above core range
- 0 tracks
- Mean of shown tracks
- 129 BPM
- Median of shown tracks
- 126 BPM
- Evidence level
- 16 tracks, 7 core examples
Counts describe the reference tracks resolved on this page, not every record in the genre.
DJ Overview for Techno
Use this as a mixing and library-prep description, not an encyclopedia entry.
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| 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)
Minimal Techno(125-135 BPM)
Hard Techno(145-160 BPM)
Melodic Techno(122-132 BPM)
Related Charts
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.
| Genre | BPM fit | Style fit | Transition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Techno128-140 BPM · typical 135 | High | High | Long blend, harmonic blend, or drop swap |
| Minimal Techno125-135 BPM · typical 130 | High | High | Long blend, harmonic blend, or drop swap |
| Industrial Techno135-150 BPM · typical 142 | High | High | Long blend, harmonic blend, or drop swap |
| Acid Techno130-145 BPM · typical 138 | High | High | Long blend, harmonic blend, or drop swap |
| Dub Techno120-135 BPM · typical 128 | High | High | Long blend, harmonic blend, or drop swap |
| Hard Techno145-160 BPM · typical 150 | High | High | Long blend, harmonic blend, or drop swap |
| Schranz145-160 BPM · typical 150 | High | High | Long blend, harmonic blend, or drop swap |
| Birmingham Techno130-142 BPM · typical 135 | High | High | Long blend, harmonic blend, or drop swap |
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.
Methodology
Last updated
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
- 16 mapped sub-genres and 30 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
- 16 Techno sub-genres and 30 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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