Genre Guides

Dubstep BPM

Dubstep is usually mixed around 138-142 BPM, with 140 BPM as a practical DJ target. The reference tracks on this page span 110-174 BPM, so the guide separates core examples from adjacent and outlier records.

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Dubstep BPM Reference

Dubstep: 138-142 BPM, typical 140 BPM.

Genre	BPM Range	Typical BPM	Notes
Dubstep	138-142	140	Heavy wobble bass, syncopated rhythms, and sparse arrangements at half-time feel. Originated in South London.
Future Garage	130-140	135	Atmospheric, vocal-chopped UK garage descendant: Burial, Untold, Pearson Sound. Late-night, rain-soaked, post-dubstep emotional sound.
Post-Dubstep	130-140	135	Post-2010 sound that took dubstep tempos but dropped wobble bass for songcraft and introspection. James Blake, Mount Kimbie, SBTRKT.
Wonky	130-140	135	Off-grid, syncopated bass music: drunken-feel rhythms and pitch-bent synths. Hudson Mohawke, Rustie, Flying Lotus crossover with the Glasgow LuckyMe scene.
Deep Dubstep	138-142	140	The original UK dubstep sound: deep sub-bass, minimal percussion, and dark, spacious atmospheres. Rooted in dub and garage. Mala, Coki, Loefah, Skream.
Melodic Dubstep	138-150	140	Combines dubstep's bass weight with emotional melodies, vocals, and cinematic production. Popularized by Seven Lions and Illenium.
140 / Deep Bass	138-142	140	The modern UK underground dubstep sound: half-time, sub-bass driven, minimal. Hessle Audio, Tempa, Deep Medi-aligned. Often labelled simply '140'.
Chillstep	138-142	140	Calm, ambient-toned dubstep with soft pads and gentle bass. Blackmill, CMA, Phaeleh. YouTube/SoundCloud-heritage relaxation soundtrack.
Grime	135-145	140	London MC-driven 140 BPM bass music: Wiley, Skepta, Dizzee Rascal, Stormzy. Eskibeat ancestry, dubstep cousin, hip-hop tempo.
Brostep	140-150	145	Aggressive, mid-range focused dubstep popularized by Skrillex. Heavy drops, complex sound design, and festival-oriented energy.
Riddim	140-150	145	Minimalist, repetitive dubstep with heavy emphasis on wobble patterns and triplet rhythms. Stripped back but hard-hitting. Subtronics, Infekt, PhaseOne.
Tearout Dubstep	140-150	145	Aggressive UK-style dubstep with brutal mid-range bass. Trampa, Funtcase, Walter Wilde, Eptic. The harder UK answer to brostep.

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

Dubstep

138–142BPM

140

120160

Heavy wobble bass, syncopated rhythms, and sparse arrangements at half-time feel. Originated in South London.

Wobble bassHalf-time feelSyncopated rhythmsSub-bass emphasis

Sub-genre BPM landscape

scale: 120–160 BPM

Future Garage130–140

Post-Dubstep130–140

Wonky130–140

Deep Dubstep138–142

Melodic Dubstep138–150

140 / Deep Bass138–142

Chillstep138–142

Grime135–145

Brostep140–150

Riddim140–150

Tearout Dubstep140–150

Dubstep sub-genres

Deep Dubstep

138–142

The original UK dubstep sound: deep sub-bass, minimal percussion, and dark, spacious atmospheres. Rooted in dub and garage. Mala, Coki, Loefah, Skream.

Deep sub-bassMinimal percussionDark atmospheresDub influence

Brostep

140–150

Aggressive, mid-range focused dubstep popularized by Skrillex. Heavy drops, complex sound design, and festival-oriented energy.

Aggressive mid-rangeComplex dropsFestival energyMetallic bass

Riddim

140–150

Minimalist, repetitive dubstep with heavy emphasis on wobble patterns and triplet rhythms. Stripped back but hard-hitting. Subtronics, Infekt, PhaseOne.

Repetitive wobblesTriplet rhythmsMinimal arrangementHeavy bass

Melodic Dubstep

138–150

Combines dubstep's bass weight with emotional melodies, vocals, and cinematic production. Popularized by Seven Lions and Illenium.

Emotional melodiesVocal featuresCinematic buildsBass drops

Tearout Dubstep

140–150

Aggressive UK-style dubstep with brutal mid-range bass. Trampa, Funtcase, Walter Wilde, Eptic. The harder UK answer to brostep.

Brutal mid-rangeUK aggressionSaw-bass leadsNo-melody focus

140 / Deep Bass

138–142

The modern UK underground dubstep sound: half-time, sub-bass driven, minimal. Hessle Audio, Tempa, Deep Medi-aligned. Often labelled simply '140'.

Sub-bass drivenHalf-timeMinimal arrangementUK underground

Future Garage

130–140

Atmospheric, vocal-chopped UK garage descendant: Burial, Untold, Pearson Sound. Late-night, rain-soaked, post-dubstep emotional sound.

Vocal chopsAtmospheric padsBurial influenceLate-night mood

Post-Dubstep

130–140

Post-2010 sound that took dubstep tempos but dropped wobble bass for songcraft and introspection. James Blake, Mount Kimbie, SBTRKT.

Vocal-led songsIntrospective moodRefined productionGenre-blurring

Wonky

130–140

Off-grid, syncopated bass music: drunken-feel rhythms and pitch-bent synths. Hudson Mohawke, Rustie, Flying Lotus crossover with the Glasgow LuckyMe scene.

Off-grid swingPitch-bent synthsLuckyMe soundGlasgow scene

Chillstep

138–142

Calm, ambient-toned dubstep with soft pads and gentle bass. Blackmill, CMA, Phaeleh. YouTube/SoundCloud-heritage relaxation soundtrack.

Soft padsCalm bassRelaxation focusYouTube heritage

Grime

135–145

London MC-driven 140 BPM bass music: Wiley, Skepta, Dizzee Rascal, Stormzy. Eskibeat ancestry, dubstep cousin, hip-hop tempo.

MC-ledLondon originEskibeat DNA140 BPM

Core DJ range: 138–142 BPM
Practical target: 140 BPM
Track spread: 110-174 BPM
Track evidence: 8 shown

Use the BPM that makes loops, cue points, and phrase markers behave cleanly in your DJ software.

What BPM Is Dubstep?

Dubstep sits at 138–142 BPM as a core DJ range, with 140 BPM as a practical target for crate filtering and set planning. Future Garage is the slowest at 130-140 BPM, while Tearout Dubstep reaches 140-150 BPM.

How to Read Dubstep BPM in DJ Software

Dubstep is usually mixed around 138-142 BPM, with 140 BPM as a practical DJ target. The reference tracks on this page span 110-174 BPM, so use the grid that makes loops and phrase markers line up cleanly.

138-142 BPM

Core Dubstep DJ range

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

69-71 BPM

Halftime interpretation of the core range

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

140 BPM

Practical target for crate filtering

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

< 138 BPM

Slower adjacent or bridge records

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

> 142 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: 8
Track spread: 110-174 BPM
Below core range: 1 track
Inside core range: 4 tracks
Above core range: 3 tracks
Mean of shown tracks: 142 BPM
Median of shown tracks: 140 BPM
Evidence level: Limited but reviewed: 8 tracks, 4 core examples

Dubstep Reference Tracks

Resolved Dubstep tracks with BPM and Camelot key, separated by DJ fit:

Core Dubstep examples

These examples sit inside the 138-142 BPM core DJ range.

Firepower

Datsik

140

Decisions

Borgore, Miley Cyrus

140

Vava Voom

Bassnectar, Lupe Fiasco

140

Where's My Money - Caspa Remix

TC, Caspa

140

Adjacent and outlier examples

These tracks still help explain the Dubstep neighborhood, but they should not be treated as core examples without checking the grid.

Bangarang (feat. Sirah)

Skrillex, Sirah

110

Promises

NERO

144

Throwin' Elbows

Excision, Space Laces

150

10A

Hold On - Sub Focus Remix

Rusko, Amber Coffman, Sub Focus

For working DJs

Build better DJ crates in Vibes

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

Discover Vibes

Bangarang (feat. Sirah)

Skrillex, Sirah

110 BPM

Below the 138-142 BPM core range; use as a bridge record or test a doubled grid.

Promises

NERO

144 BPM

Above the 138-142 BPM core range; check whether it behaves better as halftime.

Throwin' Elbows

Excision, Space Laces

150 BPM

Above the 138-142 BPM core range; check whether it behaves better as halftime.

Hold On - Sub Focus Remix

Rusko, Amber Coffman, Sub Focus

174 BPM

Above the 138-142 BPM core range; check whether it behaves better as halftime.

DJ Overview for Dubstep

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

Sound palette

Wobble bass, Half-time feel, Syncopated rhythms, Sub-bass emphasis

Drum feel

138-142 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

Deep Dubstep, Melodic Dubstep, 140 / Deep Bass

Compare Nearby Styles

138 BPM150 BPM

Dubstep

138–142 · typical 140

Primary reference for this page.

Deep Dubstep

138–142 · typical 140

Same typical tempo; compare by arrangement and energy.

Melodic Dubstep

138–150 · typical 140

Same typical tempo; compare by arrangement and energy.

140 / Deep Bass

138–142 · typical 140

Same typical tempo; compare by arrangement and energy.

Chillstep

138–142 · typical 140

Same typical tempo; compare by arrangement and energy.

Mix Into Dubstep

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.

Deep Dubstep

138-142 BPM · typical 140

High