Before The Calm
30s preview
- BPM
- 170
- Half-time
- 85
- Open Key
- 7d
- Energy
- 12/100
- Pop
- 0/100
- Length
- 1:19
- Released
- 2012
- Album
- Another Happy Day (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
- Genre
- Downtempo
- Loudness
- -24.1 dB
- Dynamics
- 17.4 dB
- ISRC
- GBWZD1103803
Key, BPM and audio features: model-based audio analysis · how we measure · catalogue updated July 2026
Other versions
- Before the Calmoriginal2B · 170
At 170 BPM in F♯ major (2B), Before The Calm is a very fast downtempo production. The groove is loose and less beat-driven. The mix is almost entirely instrumental. Its spectrum is weighted to the sub and kick, with a heavy low end. The master keeps real dynamic headroom. The master keeps unusual dynamic range for club music (crest 17 dB). A 2012 production that still circulates in sets. More underground than 99% of Olafur Arnalds's catalogue.
- Groove:
- less groove-driven than 94% of Olafur Arnalds's catalogue
- Tempo:
- faster than 91% of Olafur Arnalds's catalogue
- Brightness:
- darker than 80% of Olafur Arnalds's catalogue
Sonic profile
Frequency spectrum
amplitude · bass → treble
- 37%
- Low
- 30-130 Hz
- 33%
- Low-mid
- 130-570 Hz
- 23%
- Upper-mid
- 570 Hz-2.5 kHz
- 7%
- High
- 2.5-11 kHz
FAQ
What key is Before The Calm in?
Before The Calm by Olafur Arnalds is in F♯ major, or 2B on the Camelot wheel.
What BPM is Before The Calm?
Before The Calm runs at 170 BPM, a very fast track.
What mixes well with Before The Calm?
From 2B it blends harmonically with 3B, 2A, 1B. Moving to 3B lifts the energy a step.
Is Before The Calm good for peak time?
With energy 12 out of 100 at 170 BPM, it works best as a warm-up or breakdown cut.
Mixes harmonically
2B → 1B · 3B · 2AFrom 2B, 3B (D♭ major) lifts the energy a step; 2A (E♭ minor) settles into the relative minor; 1B (B major) cools the energy down a step.
How to mix it
In 2B at 170 BPM: 3B (D♭ major) — move to 3B to push the floor harder; 2A (E♭ minor) — switch to 2A for a mood change without losing the groove; 1B (B major) — drop to 1B to bring the room down gently.
Pitch range at ±6%: 160-180 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 9B rather than 2B; below -5% it reads as 7B. With key lock on, it stays 2B 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 170 — beatmatch without a big tempo pull.
More downtempo
More from Olafur Arnalds
Full profile
Other recommendations
Beyond strict key and genre matches: tracks that still sit in beatmatch range of 170 BPM with a compatible energy and groove — candidates for a key jump or a genre crossover.
