First Watch
- Key
- 9B · G major
- BPM
- 108
- Open Key
- 2d
- Energy
- 7/100
- Pop
- 7/100
- Length
- 2:37
- Released
- 2011
- Genre
- Ambient
- Loudness
- -31.2 dB
Key, BPM and audio features: model-based audio analysis · how we measure · catalogue updated July 2026
Other versions
- First Watchoriginal9B · 108
First Watch runs 108 BPM in G major (9B), a mid-tempo ambient record. Tonally it lands brooding and low-slung. It leans atmospheric over strictly danceable. It is vocal-led. Its spectrum is centred in the low-mids, warm and bass-forward. The master keeps real dynamic headroom. A 2011 production that still circulates in sets. Calmer than 92% of Jon Hopkins's catalogue. In a set it works best as a warm-up or breakdown cut.
- Brightness:
- brighter than 83% of Jon Hopkins's catalogue
- Reach:
- more underground than 75% of Jon Hopkins's catalogue
Sonic profile
Frequency spectrum
amplitude · bass → treble
FAQ
What key is First Watch in?
First Watch by Jon Hopkins is in G major, or 9B on the Camelot wheel.
What BPM is First Watch?
First Watch runs at 108 BPM, a mid-tempo track.
What mixes well with First Watch?
From 9B it blends harmonically with 10B, 9A, 8B. Moving to 10B lifts the energy a step.
Is First Watch good for peak time?
With energy 7 out of 100 at 108 BPM, it works best as a warm-up or breakdown cut.
Mixes harmonically
9B → 8B · 10B · 9AFrom 9B, 10B (D major) lifts the energy a step; 9A (E minor) settles into the relative minor; 8B (C major) cools the energy down a step.
How to mix it
In 9B at 108 BPM: 10B (D major) — move to 10B to push the floor harder; 9A (E minor) — switch to 9A for a mood change without losing the groove; 8B (C major) — drop to 8B to bring the room down gently.
Pitch range at ±6%: 102-114 BPM — anything in that window beatmatches without sounding stretched.
Key on the fader: without key lock (Master Tempo on CDJs), above roughly +5% it plays a semitone higher, so treat it as 4B rather than 9B; below -5% it reads as 2B. With key lock on, it stays 9B across the whole range.
Programming: a warm-up or breakdown cut — early set or after a peak to reset the room.
Similar tempo
Within ±3 BPM of 108 — beatmatch without a big tempo pull.
More ambient
More from Jon Hopkins
Full profile
Other recommendations
Beyond strict key and genre matches: tracks that still sit in beatmatch range of 108 BPM with a compatible energy and groove — candidates for a key jump or a genre crossover.
![The Ladder [True Electric] by Röyksopp cover art](https://qzoszznbkkwwjtagnyok.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/dj-covers/2dc855271f39a7c365d9.webp){kind=small}
