Special Ops
30s preview
- Key
- 9A · E minor
- BPM
- 138
- Open Key
- 2m
- Energy
- 96/100
- Pop
- 12/100
- Length
- 1:29
- Released
- 2011
- Genre
- Big Beat
- Loudness
- -9.2 dB
- Dynamics
- 11.7 dB
- ISRC
- USSM11103066
Key, BPM and audio features: model-based audio analysis · how we measure · catalogue updated July 2026
A driving up-tempo big beat cut, Special Ops sits in E minor (9A) at 138 BPM. The feel is dark and driving. The mix is almost entirely instrumental. Its spectrum is weighted to the sub and kick, with a heavy low end. The master keeps unusual dynamic range for club music (crest 12 dB). A 2011 production that still circulates in sets. Darker than 97% of The Chemical Brothers's catalogue. For programming, treat it as a peak-time weapon.
- Tempo:
- faster than 81% of The Chemical Brothers's catalogue
- Energy:
- hotter than 80% of The Chemical Brothers's catalogue
- Groove:
- less groove-driven than 79% of The Chemical Brothers's catalogue
Sonic profile
Frequency spectrum
amplitude · bass → treble
- 34%
- Low
- 30-130 Hz
- 27%
- Low-mid
- 130-570 Hz
- 23%
- Upper-mid
- 570 Hz-2.5 kHz
- 16%
- High
- 2.5-11 kHz
FAQ
What key is Special Ops in?
Special Ops by The Chemical Brothers is in E minor, or 9A on the Camelot wheel.
What BPM is Special Ops?
Special Ops runs at 138 BPM, a driving up-tempo track.
What mixes well with Special Ops?
From 9A it blends harmonically with 10A, 9B, 8A. Moving to 10A lifts the energy a step.
Is Special Ops good for peak time?
With energy 96 out of 100 at 138 BPM, it works best as a peak-time weapon.
Mixes harmonically
9A → 8A · 10A · 9BFrom 9A, 10A (B minor) lifts the energy a step; 9B (G major) brightens to the relative major; 8A (A minor) cools the energy down a step.
How to mix it
In 9A at 138 BPM: 10A (B minor) — move to 10A to push the floor harder; 9B (G major) — switch to 9B for a mood change without losing the groove; 8A (A minor) — drop to 8A to bring the room down gently.
Pitch range at ±6%: 130-146 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 4A rather than 9A; below -5% it reads as 2A. With key lock on, it stays 9A across the whole range.
Programming: a peak-time weapon — save it for the main stretch (energy 96/100).
Similar tempo
Within ±3 BPM of 138 — beatmatch without a big tempo pull.
More big beat
More from The Chemical Brothers
Full profile
Other recommendations
Beyond strict key and genre matches: tracks that still sit in beatmatch range of 138 BPM with a compatible energy and groove — candidates for a key jump or a genre crossover.
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