Drum & Bass BPM: 160-180, Sweet Spot 174

Q: What is the typical BPM for Drum & Bass?

174 BPM is the practical DJ target for Drum & Bass. Treat it as a crate-filtering reference, then check the exact beatgrid and phrasing for each track.

Q: What is the BPM range for Drum & Bass?

Drum & Bass ranges from 160 to 180 BPM. The spread reflects production variations and sub-genre splintering within the style.

Q: What are the main sub-genres of Drum & Bass?

The main sub-genres of Drum & Bass include Jungle (170 BPM), Liquid D&B (174 BPM), Atmospheric D&B (172 BPM). Each has its own tempo signature within the broader 160-180 BPM range.

Q: What styles are closest to Drum & Bass?

Drum & Bass is best compared with Jungle (160-180 BPM), Liquid D&B (170-178 BPM), Atmospheric D&B (165-175 BPM), Neurofunk (170-178 BPM). These are more useful DJ references than same-tempo genres from unrelated scenes because the production style and phrasing are closer.

Q: What are the production characteristics of Drum & Bass?

Drum & Bass is characterized by: Fast breakbeats, Heavy sub-bass, Complex drum patterns, Amen break.

Genre Guides

160-180BPM

Filter your crate to this range, then verify each track's beatgrid and Camelot key before you blend.

Practical target: 174 BPM
Tracks shown: 13 shown
Track spread: 70-180 BPM
Inside core range: 10 of 13
Below · above: 3 below · 0 above
Median · mean: 174 · 157 BPM
Sub-genres: 16 styles
Evidence: 13 tracks, 10 core examples

Counts describe the reference tracks resolved on this page, not every record in the genre. Use the BPM that makes loops, cue points, and phrase markers behave cleanly.

Quick answer

What BPM is Drum & Bass?

A DJ tempo guide for Drum & Bass: where the core range sits, how its sub-genres split it, and 13 reference tracks spanning 70-180 BPM, separated into core, adjacent, and outlier records.

Drum & Bass typically runs 160 to 180 BPM, with 174 BPM as the practical DJ target. Drumstep is the slowest at 140-150 BPM, while Crossbreed reaches 175-200 BPM. Use the range to filter your crate, then verify each track's beatgrid and key before mixing.

DJ-ready reference
Printable
Methodology included

Reference tracks

Drum & Bass Reference Tracks

Resolved Drum & Bass tracks, verified against their beatgrids with real BPM, Camelot key, energy and length, separated by DJ fit. Click any row to open its full sonic profile.

#TrackKeyBPMNRGLenKey·BPM

Core Drum & Bass examples

10 inside 160-180 BPM

Brown Paper Bag

Roni Size, Reprazent

1B170969:041B170

If We Ever

High Contrast

9B173885:209B173

Rio (feat. Digital Farm Animals)

Netsky, Digital Farm Animals

8B173893:498B173

Tidal Wave

Sub Focus, Alpines

7B174873:497B174

Watercolour - Full Version; Single

Pendulum

4A174905:044A174

Afterglow

Wilkinson, Becky Hill

9B174923:459B174

Heartbeat Loud

Andy C · 2014 · Drum N Bass · Deep House

5B174963:005B174

Long Gone Memory

Arlissa, Friction

8A174974:148A174

All Night

Camo & Krooked

5A175594:315A175

Breathe In, Breathe Out

Dimension 32, Starinsky

8B18022:598B180

Adjacent and outlier examples

3 outside core

Louder (feat. Sian Evans) - Doctor P & Flux Pavilion Remix

DJ Fresh, Sian Evans, Doctor P, Flux Pavilion

9A70953:589A70

Lost

Hybrid Minds

2A87775:352A87

Blind Faith

Chase & Status, Liam Bailey

8A140853:548A140

DJ fit notes

Louder (feat. Sian Evans) - Doctor P & Flux Pavilion Remix: Below the 160-180 BPM core range; use as a bridge record or test a doubled grid.
Lost: Below the 160-180 BPM core range; use as a bridge record or test a doubled grid.
Blind Faith: Below the 160-180 BPM core range; use as a bridge record or test a doubled grid.

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Genre family

The Drum & Bass Family

Drum & Bass sits at 160–180 BPM as a core DJ range, with 174 BPM as a practical target for crate filtering and set planning. Drumstep is the slowest at 140-150 BPM, while Crossbreed reaches 175-200 BPM.

Drum & Bass BPM Reference

Drum & Bass: 160-180 BPM, typical 174 BPM.

Genre	BPM Range	Typical BPM	Notes
Drum & Bass	160-180	174	Fast breakbeats and heavy sub-bass. Originated in the UK rave scene of the early 1990s. Energetic and bass-heavy.
Drumstep	140-150	140	Hybrid of D&B and dubstep: D&B drum patterns at dubstep tempo (140 BPM). Excision, Datsik, Flux Pavilion crossover sound.
Autonomic	160-172	165	Self-imposed 170 BPM 'speed limit' movement spearheaded by dBridge, Instra:mental and ASC on Exit Records around 2009-2011. Music first, drum & bass second: emotionally charged, spacious, sci-fi.
Jungle	160-180	170	The precursor to drum & bass. Chopped breakbeats, Jamaican sound system influence, and ragga/dancehall vocal samples. Goldie, Roni Size, LTJ Bukem.
Ragga Jungle	160-180	170	Heavy on Jamaican ragga vocal samples and dub influence. Congo Natty, General Levy, Aphrodite. The reggae-soundsystem branch of jungle.
Atmospheric D&B	165-175	172	Lush, ambient drum & bass: LTJ Bukem and Good Looking Records-defined. Jazz-tinged pads, deep bass, and meditative vibes.
Minimal D&B	168-176	172	Reduced, atmospheric D&B with sparse arrangements. Calibre, Marcus Intalex, dBridge's Autonomic sound.
Deep DnB	168-176	172	Moody, minimalist drum & bass with weighty sub-bass and immersive atmospheres. Calibre, LSB, Marcus Intalex, S.P.Y. The 'less is more' branch pioneered around the Soul:r label.
Liquid D&B	170-178	174	The melodic, soulful side of drum & bass. Smooth pads, vocals, and musical breakdowns over rolling beats. High Contrast, Calibre, London Elektricity.
Neurofunk	170-178	174	Technical, dark, and complex. Intricate sound design, glitchy bass, and precise engineering. Noisia, Black Sun Empire, Phace, Misanthrop.
Techstep	168-178	174	Late-90s dark, mechanical D&B that became the foundation for neurofunk. Ed Rush & Optical, Dom & Roland, Trace. No Knit roots.
Jump Up	170-178	174	Aggressive, crowd-oriented D&B with wobbly basslines and simple, high-energy arrangements designed to make people jump. Hazard, Original Sin, DJ Guv.
Darkstep	170-180	174	Aggressive, horror-tinged D&B. Distorted basslines, dark atmospheres, and brutal drops. Limewax, The Outside Agency, Cooh.
Halftime	170-180	174	D&B produced at 170+ BPM but with halftime drum patterns: feels like 85 BPM hip-hop. Ivy Lab, Stray, Sam Binga, Dabs.
Drumfunk	170-178	174	Edit-heavy, broken D&B prioritising chopped breakbeats over wobble bass. Paradox, Fanu, Equinox, Macc. The drummer's drum & bass.
Sambass	170-180	174	Brazilian D&B blended with samba percussion and bossa nova feel. DJ Marky, Patife, XRS Land. Brazilian movement of late 90s/early 2000s.
Crossbreed	175-200	185	Hybrid of D&B and hardcore: fast tempo, distorted hardcore kicks, and D&B drum patterns. Limewax, The Outside Agency, Forbidden Society.

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

Drum & Bass

160-180BPM

130210

Fast breakbeats and heavy sub-bass. Originated in the UK rave scene of the early 1990s. Energetic and bass-heavy.

Fast breakbeatsHeavy sub-bassComplex drum patternsAmen break

Sub-genre tempo spectrum

16 styles

140160180200

Drumstep

140-150

Autonomic

160-172

Jungle

160-180

Ragga Jungle

160-180

Atmospheric D&B

165-175

Minimal D&B

168-176

Deep DnB

168-176

Liquid D&B

170-178

Neurofunk

170-178

Techstep

168-178

Jump Up

170-178

Darkstep

170-180

Halftime

170-180

Drumfunk

170-178

Sambass

170-180

Crossbreed

175-200

Reading the grid

How to Read Drum & Bass BPM in DJ Software

Drum & Bass is usually mixed around 160-180 BPM, with 174 BPM as a practical DJ target. The reference tracks on this page span 70-180 BPM, so use the grid that makes loops and phrase markers line up cleanly.

How to read Drum & Bass BPM values in DJ software
Reading	Meaning	Action
160-180 BPM	Core Drum & Bass DJ range	Beatmatch normally, then check phrasing around intros, breaks, and drops.
80-90 BPM	Halftime interpretation of the core range	Double the grid if 8-bar loops or cue points feel too slow.
174 BPM	Practical target for crate filtering	Use as a starting point, then sort by energy, key, and arrangement.
< 160 BPM	Slower adjacent or bridge records	Treat as tempo bridges unless the grid doubles cleanly into the core range.

DJ Overview for Drum & Bass

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

DJ overview for Drum & Bass
Aspect	Detail
Sound palette	Fast breakbeats, Heavy sub-bass, Complex drum patterns, Amen break
Drum feel	160-180 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	fast sections, double-time bridges, and high-intensity moments
Often compared with	Liquid D&B, Neurofunk, Techstep

Mix Into Drum & Bass

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 Drum & Bass
Genre	BPM fit	Style fit	Transition
Jungle160-180 BPM · typical 170	High	High	Long blend, harmonic blend, or drop swap
Liquid D&B170-178 BPM · typical 174	High	High	Long blend, harmonic blend, or drop swap
Atmospheric D&B165-175 BPM · typical 172	High	High	Long blend, harmonic blend, or drop swap
Neurofunk170-178 BPM · typical 174	High	High	Long blend, harmonic blend, or drop swap
Techstep168-178 BPM · typical 174	High	High	Long blend, harmonic blend, or drop swap
Jump Up170-178 BPM · typical 174	High	High	Long blend, harmonic blend, or drop swap
Darkstep170-180 BPM · typical 174	High	High	Long blend, harmonic blend, or drop swap
Crossbreed175-200 BPM · typical 185	High	High	Long blend, harmonic blend, or drop swap

Reference Artists in Drum & Bass

Artists represented in the current Drum & Bass track sample:

Reference artists in Drum & Bass
#	Artist	Tracks	Keys
01	Alpines	1 track, 174 BPM	7B
02	Andy C	1 track, 174 BPM	5B
03	Arlissa	1 track, 174 BPM	8A
04	Becky Hill	1 track, 174 BPM	9B
05	Camo & Krooked	1 track, 175 BPM	5A
06	Chase & Status	1 track, 140 BPM	8A

Compare Nearby Styles

160 BPM180 BPM

Drum & Bass

160–180 · typical 174

Primary reference for this page.

Liquid D&B

170–178 · typical 174

Same typical tempo; compare by arrangement and energy.

Neurofunk

170–178 · typical 174

Same typical tempo; compare by arrangement and energy.

Techstep

168–178 · typical 174

Same typical tempo; compare by arrangement and energy.

Jump Up

170–178 · typical 174

Same typical tempo; compare by arrangement and energy.

Common Keys for Drum & Bass

Most-used Camelot keys among the Drum & Bass tracks shown here:

8AA minor2 tracks 8BC major2 tracks 9BG major2 tracks

Explore Related References

Drum & Bass BPM chartVisual sub-genre tempo referenceOpen 174 BPM tracksReference tracks near the typical tempoOpen 8A (A minor)2 reference Drum & Bass tracks in this keyOpen 8B (C major)2 reference Drum & Bass tracks in this keyOpen

Mixing Tips

Tempo Window

Stay in the 160–180 BPM band for clean mixes; verify unknown tracks with the BPM tapper.

Harmonic Fit

Use the Camelot wheel to find compatible keys before transitioning, especially when Drum & Bass tracks have prominent melodic content.

Tempo Bridges

When bridging into a different tempo, use the key transposer to plan how pitch change affects key, or transition during a breakdown where the beat drops.

Next Reference

Browse the EDM genre BPM chart or the music genre tree to see how Drum & Bass relates to neighboring styles.

Typical Tempo

See tracks at the typical 174 BPM on the 174 BPM tracks page.

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: 13 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: 13 reference Drum & Bass tracks from a 391-track dataset; 10 sit inside the core DJ range and 3 are labeled as adjacent or outlier examples.
How this page is made: This page is generated from the Vibes genre taxonomy, curated reference tracks, computed evidence statistics, and reference track metadata where available. AI-assisted research helped draft the taxonomy notes; the visible page is rendered from structured data and reusable page logic.

Genre BPM ranges are practical DJ references, not statistical claims about every track. Different edits, live versions, and analysis engines may report slightly different tempos.

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Frequently Asked Questions

174 BPM is the practical DJ target for Drum & Bass. Treat it as a crate-filtering reference, then check the exact beatgrid and phrasing for each track.

Drum & Bass ranges from 160 to 180 BPM. The spread reflects production variations and sub-genre splintering within the style.

The main sub-genres of Drum & Bass include Jungle (170 BPM), Liquid D&B (174 BPM), Atmospheric D&B (172 BPM). Each has its own tempo signature within the broader 160-180 BPM range.

Drum & Bass is best compared with Jungle (160-180 BPM), Liquid D&B (170-178 BPM), Atmospheric D&B (165-175 BPM), Neurofunk (170-178 BPM). These are more useful DJ references than same-tempo genres from unrelated scenes because the production style and phrasing are closer.

Drum & Bass is characterized by: Fast breakbeats, Heavy sub-bass, Complex drum patterns, Amen break.

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