Synthwave BPM
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 the guide separates core examples from adjacent and outlier records.
Synthwave BPM Reference
Synthwave: 80-115 BPM, typical 100 BPM.
| Genre | BPM Range | Typical BPM | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Synthwave | 80-115 | 100 | 80s-inspired retro electronica: gated reverb drums, FM-synth pads, neon nostalgia. Kavinsky's Drive soundtrack era. The Midnight, FM-84. |
| Vaporwave | 60-90 | 75 | Slowed/chopped 80s/90s smooth-jazz/lounge samples. Macintosh Plus 'Floral Shoppe', Saint Pepsi. Internet-aesthetic adjacent. |
| Chillwave | 80-110 | 95 | Hazy, dreamy late-2000s indie-electronic: Washed Out, Toro y Moi, Neon Indian. Lo-fi pop with synth nostalgia. |
| Outrun | 80-115 | 100 | Highway/driving-themed synthwave subgenre: soundtrack-feel arpeggios and arena-rock drums. Mitch Murder, Lazerhawk, Miami Nights 1984. |
| Darksynth | 90-130 | 110 | Aggressive horror-tinged synthwave. Perturbator, Carpenter Brut, GosT. John Carpenter scoring DNA. Often crosses into metal-tempo. |
vibesdj.io/dj-tools - BPM ranges are practical DJ references, not strict genre boundaries.
Synthwave
80s-inspired retro electronica: gated reverb drums, FM-synth pads, neon nostalgia. Kavinsky's Drive soundtrack era. The Midnight, FM-84.
Sub-genre BPM landscape
Synthwave sub-genres
Outrun
80–115Highway/driving-themed synthwave subgenre: soundtrack-feel arpeggios and arena-rock drums. Mitch Murder, Lazerhawk, Miami Nights 1984.
Darksynth
90–130Aggressive horror-tinged synthwave. Perturbator, Carpenter Brut, GosT. John Carpenter scoring DNA. Often crosses into metal-tempo.
Vaporwave
60–90Slowed/chopped 80s/90s smooth-jazz/lounge samples. Macintosh Plus 'Floral Shoppe', Saint Pepsi. Internet-aesthetic adjacent.
Chillwave
80–110Hazy, dreamy late-2000s indie-electronic: Washed Out, Toro y Moi, Neon Indian. Lo-fi pop with synth nostalgia.
- Core DJ range
- 80–115 BPM
- Practical target
- 100 BPM
- Track spread
- 86-147 BPM
- Track evidence
- 7 shown
Use the BPM that makes loops, cue points, and phrase markers behave cleanly in your DJ software.
What BPM Is Synthwave?
Synthwave sits at 80–115 BPM as a core DJ range, with 100 BPM as a practical target for crate filtering and set planning. Vaporwave is the slowest at 60-90 BPM, while Darksynth reaches 90-130 BPM.
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.
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
Synthwave Reference Tracks
Resolved Synthwave tracks with BPM and Camelot key, separated by DJ fit:
Core Synthwave examples
These examples sit inside the 80-115 BPM core DJ range.
Adjacent and outlier examples
These tracks still help explain the Synthwave neighborhood, but they should not be treated as core examples without checking the grid.
Riot
Dance With the Dead
Overdrive
Lazerhawk
Turbo Killer
Carpenter Brut
For working DJs
Build better DJ crates in Vibes
Tag tracks by vibe, energy, role, and set context before your next set.
Above the 80-115 BPM core range; check whether it behaves better as halftime.
Above the 80-115 BPM core range; check whether it behaves better as halftime.
Above the 80-115 BPM core range; check whether it behaves better as halftime.
DJ Overview for Synthwave
Use this as a mixing and library-prep description, not an encyclopedia entry.
Compare Nearby Styles
Primary reference for this page.
Same typical tempo; compare by arrangement and energy.
5 BPM slower typical tempo; useful for warmups or pull-backs.
10 BPM faster typical tempo; useful for lifting energy.
25 BPM slower typical tempo; useful for warmups or pull-backs.
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.
Reference Artists in Synthwave
Artists represented in the current Synthwave track sample:
Common Keys for Synthwave
Most-used Camelot keys among the Synthwave tracks shown here:
Explore Related References
Mixing Tips
Tempo Window
Stay in the 80–115 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 Synthwave 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 Synthwave relates to neighboring styles.
Typical Tempo
See tracks at the typical 100 BPM on the 100 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.
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: 7 reference tracks
Evidence: 7 reference Synthwave tracks from a 290-track dataset; 4 sit inside the core DJ range and 3 are labeled as adjacent or outlier examples.
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 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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