Heads Will Roll
30s preview
- BPM
- 174
- Half-time
- 87
- Open Key
- 7d
- Energy
- 99/100
- Pop
- 0/100
- Length
- 6:06
- Released
- 2003
- Album
- The Original Doctor Shade
- Genre
- Drum N Bass
- Loudness
- -4.5 dB
- Dynamics
- 12.8 dB
- ISRC
- GBTKW0390422
Key, BPM and audio features: model-based audio analysis · how we measure · catalogue updated July 2026
At 174 BPM in F♯ major (2B), Heads Will Roll is a drum n bass production. The mix is almost entirely instrumental. The master is loud and heavily compressed. The master keeps unusual dynamic range for club music (crest 13 dB). A 2003 production that still circulates in sets. More underground than 99% of Optical's catalogue. In a set it works best as an opener or closing-set piece.
- Energy:
- hotter than 98% of Optical's catalogue
Sonic profile
Frequency spectrum
amplitude · bass → treble
- 30%
- Low
- 30-130 Hz
- 29%
- Low-mid
- 130-570 Hz
- 21%
- Upper-mid
- 570 Hz-2.5 kHz
- 20%
- High
- 2.5-11 kHz
FAQ
What key is Heads Will Roll in?
Heads Will Roll by Optical is in F♯ major, or 2B on the Camelot wheel.
What BPM is Heads Will Roll?
Heads Will Roll runs at 174 BPM.
What mixes well with Heads Will Roll?
From 2B it blends harmonically with 3B, 2A, 1B. Moving to 3B lifts the energy a step.
Is Heads Will Roll good for peak time?
With energy 99 out of 100 at 174 BPM, it works best as an opener or closing-set piece.
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 174 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%: 164-184 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: an opener or closing-set piece.
Similar tempo
Within ±3 BPM of 174 — beatmatch without a big tempo pull.
More drum n bass
More from Optical
Full profile
Other recommendations
Beyond strict key and genre matches: tracks that still sit in beatmatch range of 174 BPM with a compatible energy and groove — candidates for a key jump or a genre crossover.
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