BPM (Beats Per Minute) is the measure of how fast music is performed, making it an invaluable metric for DJs in terms of smoothing transitions from one song to the next.
Originating in UK Garage and Breakbeat, Jungle originates with its signature fast tempo, offbeat bass stabs, and crowd cheering samples – typically around 160 BPM.
Hard Trance
Hard Trance emerged in the underground club scene and soon found a strong following, thanks to its intense beats and hypnotic melodies which appealed to fans and DJs alike. It is distinguished by a fast (+150bpm) tempo with deep kick drums and distorted synthesizers; fans also appreciated this genre for its fast tempo (> 150 bpm).
Modern Hard Trance draws its inspiration from different electronic music genres, including hardcore, as well as other dance music styles. Thanks to advances in digital production technology, the genre has evolved further and become more sophisticated and intricate allowing producers to craft unique sounds and innovative sounds.
Tech Trance and Euphoric Hardstyle have emerged as two distinct subgenres of Hard Trance. Tech Trance takes an electro-influenced approach, emphasizing repetition and rhythm; melodic components tend to be less prominent compared to traditional trance. On the other hand, Euphoric Hardstyle offers more melodic compositions inspired by progressive uplifting trance, often featuring minor melodies.
As many Hard Trance artists have become world-renowned thanks to their high-energy live performances and powerful tracks, many notable Hard Trance artists such as Alex Di Stefano have achieved superstar status due to their electrifying tracks and live performances. Notable performers in this genre include DJ Sneijder from Ireland with powerful basslines and melodies; other noteworthy Hard Trance producers include Cosmic Gate with their mesmeric melodies and hard-hitting beats.
Synthwave
Synthwave music genre combines modern electronic production techniques with classic 80s elements to produce a nostalgic yet progressive sound, often drawing inspiration from movies, video games, or art works. Artists such as Kavinsky, Perturbator and Carpenter Brut are known for creating this style; many subgenres such as Vaporwave and Darksynth have emerged due to this influence.
Music known as darkwave is characterized by haunting synthesizer melodies and atmospheric visuals. Its popularity has grown thanks to its use in video games and films, inspiring visual artists to create images and graphics which recall nostalgia, sci-fi or retrofuturism.
Synthwave is an adaptable genre that can be played at almost any bpm imaginable – from slow and relaxing 80bpm all the way up to fast adrenaline-pumping 140bpm! Even ambient tempos allow listeners to become fully immersed in its nostalgic yet dreamy ambience.
Synthwave music offers workout motivation through a subgenre known as Officewave or Yuppiewave/Businesswave, often found as workout soundtracks in 80’s movies. This fast-paced genre’s fast beats and repetitive bass lines help listeners reach peak performance in the gym; plus its fast tempo makes for ideal background noise for running errands or working from home.
Big Room House
Big Room House is an engaging blend of EDM drops, uplifting synth leads and high-energy beats designed to get dancefloors moving all night long. Drawing inspiration from other major subgenres like progressive house and electro, this genre stands out with its immersive atmosphere and futuristic sounds – creating some unforgettable festival anthems and peak time tracks in its wake.
Big room usually features two complete build-ups with breaks and one or two breakdown sections that may or may not feature the intro/outro phase, followed by shorter break sections aimed at building tension prior to dropping the beats. The first break section typically lasts much less time than its counterpart and aims to build excitement for its drop.
Big room tracks usually feature minimalist basslines that consist of only a single riff; drums may include only kick and hit patterns; the typical BPM for these tracks is 128; however producers can adapt it for different dancefloors as needed.
Big Room House may seem “cheesy”, yet others welcome its presence to the dance music scene. Since its introduction, its popularity has seen significant increases, partly due to the increasing number of music festivals featuring this style. Furthermore, Big Room House music’s consistent tempo and production techniques allow studios to easily produce dancefloor-ready tracks using this genre.
Bollywood
Bollywood, short for Bollywoodlia (formerly Bombay), is the Hindi-language film industry based out of Mumbai (formerly Bombay). It covers an array of genres such as historical epics such as Mughal-e-Azam, curry westerns and courtesan films. Popular among audiences for its extravagant production values, extravagant costumes and sets as well as vibrant dancing; Bollywood has become an international sensation influencing artists such as Madonna, Shakira and Britney Spears to incorporate its style into their songs and videos.
Bollywood has its roots in traditional Indian dance styles, yet has evolved into a very contemporary form of dance that draws upon western pop culture and dance styles. It is distinguished by large dance troupes performing intricate footwork to dramatic facial expressions accompanied by drum machines, synthesizers and guitars for accompaniment.
Bollywood dance is typically set at 120 BPM; however, this can vary depending on the song being performed. This pace aligns well with an individual’s average resting heart rate and natural bodily rhythms to provide an easy yet stimulating dance tempo for dancers of all levels of experience.
Bollywood, although widely popular worldwide, may be considered an elitist cinema. Movies like Baahubali and Dangal, for instance, appeal mainly to upper class audiences. Furthermore, critics have often accused it of overacting and excessive melodrama; additionally there have been films considered “trash” films by some critics.
Neurofunk
Neurofunk is an immersive subgenre of Drum and Bass, distinguished by low reese basses with robotic sound effects to evoke a sci-fi atmosphere, fast and complex beats, swung beats, fast and complex melodies and fast and complex layers of complex beats. First developed by Ed Rush and Optical in London and further refined by artists such as Konflict; it combines elements from techno, funk and jazz while featuring hard and soft textures, alongside its signature consecutive stabs.
Sci-fi music has long been a fan favourite. Now comes along an exciting genre which combines elements from both genres into an entirely new sound that has never before been heard in electronic music – sci-fi beats.
Neurofunk BPM ranges between 160-175 BPM. Producers use various sounds such as reverb and distortion for their tracks as well as different filters to achieve more complex sounds with futuristic overtones.
London club culture inspired this style, initially introduced by producers Ed Rush and Optical’s single Funktion for V Recordings in 1997. Subsequently, liquid funk became increasingly popular thanks to artists Mefjus and Phace and their track Bang Bang.
New Beat
New beat is a form of dance music inspired by EBM acts such as Front 242, Signal Aout 42 and Neon Judgement that blends elements of techno, acid and industrial music into dark rhythms with synthesized vocals, known for hedonistic house piano melodies and acid sounds. Popular new-beat groups in the late 1980s included Belgian group Poesie Noire who helped popularise it; their song “Flesh” features samples from French revolutionary film 1789 with house piano melodies; while its lyrics contain anti-establishment messages as well.
New-beat songs typically run between 120 to 140 BPM and are composed using synthesizers; some bands still employ acoustic instruments for this genre of dance music. R&B, on the other hand, is an innovative form of dance music which often incorporates jazz, blues, soul, funk and disco; its BPM range typically falls between 70-115.
Trance dance music is distinguished by its fast tempo, off-beat bass stabs, hoovers, and tension-building elements such as horns or crowd-cheering samples to build tension. Trance’s typical BPM range is usually 135 to 150 BPM. Similar to Gangsta Rap, Crunk and Memphis Hip Hop it features triplet sequences in snare and hi-hat patterns with cow bells for accentuation as well as strong emphasis on synths.