Excavating the Past
30s preview
- BPM
- 125
- Open Key
- 7m
- Energy
- 32/100
- Pop
- 0/100
- Length
- 5:37
- Released
- 2015
- Genre
- Downtempo
- Loudness
- -18.6 dB
- Dynamics
- 18.5 dB
- ISRC
- GBUM71406778
Key, BPM and audio features: model-based audio analysis · how we measure · catalogue updated July 2026
At 125 BPM in E♭ minor (2A), Excavating the Past is a club-tempo downtempo production. It reads as brooding and low-slung. 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 19 dB). A 2015 production that still circulates in sets. More underground than 99% of Olafur Arnalds's catalogue. For programming, treat it as a warm-up or breakdown cut.
- Low end:
- more bass-heavy than 98% of Olafur Arnalds's catalogue
- Energy:
- hotter than 81% of Olafur Arnalds's catalogue
Sonic profile
Frequency spectrum
amplitude · bass → treble
- 48%
- Low
- 30-130 Hz
- 32%
- Low-mid
- 130-570 Hz
- 19%
- Upper-mid
- 570 Hz-2.5 kHz
- 0%
- High
- 2.5-11 kHz
FAQ
What key is Excavating the Past in?
Excavating the Past by Olafur Arnalds is in E♭ minor, or 2A on the Camelot wheel.
What BPM is Excavating the Past?
Excavating the Past runs at 125 BPM, a club-tempo track.
What mixes well with Excavating the Past?
From 2A it blends harmonically with 3A, 2B, 1A. Moving to 3A lifts the energy a step.
Is Excavating the Past good for peak time?
With energy 32 out of 100 at 125 BPM, it works best as a warm-up or breakdown cut.
Mixes harmonically
2A → 1A · 3A · 2BFrom 2A, 3A (B♭ minor) lifts the energy a step; 2B (F♯ major) brightens to the relative major; 1A (A♭ minor) cools the energy down a step.
How to mix it
In 2A at 125 BPM: 3A (B♭ minor) — move to 3A to push the floor harder; 2B (F♯ major) — switch to 2B for a mood change without losing the groove; 1A (A♭ minor) — drop to 1A to bring the room down gently.
Pitch range at ±6%: 117-133 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 9A rather than 2A; below -5% it reads as 7A. With key lock on, it stays 2A 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 125 — beatmatch without a big tempo pull.
More downtempo
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Full profile
Other recommendations
Beyond strict key and genre matches: tracks that still sit in beatmatch range of 125 BPM with a compatible energy and groove — candidates for a key jump or a genre crossover.
