The genre index
127 genres, and where to hear each one.
Every genre in the timeline, Tempo Bridge and The Machines, with its year, its home city, its tempo and a track to listen for. Open a genre page for the full story, or jump straight into a tool with it already loaded.
Nothing matches. Try a city such as Chicago or a family such as techno.
Latin Music 11
Cumbia
80 to 110 BPM
A shuffling two step, the guacharaca scraping on every beat and the drums rolling underneath.
Listen for: Pedro Salcedo y su Orquesta, La Pollera Colora
Bossa Nova
110 to 140 BPM
A nylon string guitar does the work of a whole samba school.
Listen for: Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto, The Girl From Ipanema
Salsa
160 to 220 BPM
Clave locks everything in place.
Listen for: Hector Lavoe, El Cantante
Latin Freestyle
110 to 125 BPM
A drum machine punches out syncopated electro, with busy 808 and 909 fills and a fat synth bass.
Listen for: Shannon, Let the Music Play
Latin House
120 to 128 BPM
A four to the floor kick with live congas, timbales and cowbell rattling across it.
Listen for: Nuyorican Soul featuring India, Runaway
Miami Latin Pop
100 to 130 BPM
Bright pop production with a Cuban engine underneath.
Listen for: Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine, Conga
Baile Funk
130 to 150 BPM
Miami bass drum machines turned into the tamborzão, a thumping, rolling Afro Brazilian beat.
Listen for: MC Fioti, Bum Bum Tam Tam
Reggaeton
88 to 100 BPM
The dembow beat is the whole story: boom, ch boom chick, over and over.
Listen for: Daddy Yankee, Gasolina
Urban Bachata
120 to 140 BPM
Two electric guitars pick fast, bright arpeggios against the bongo and the guira scraping on each beat.
Listen for: Aventura, Obsesion
Latin Trap
130 to 150 BPM
Rattling hi hats, booming 808 bass and slow, heavy half time drums from Atlanta trap.
Listen for: Bad Bunny, Soy Peor
Corridos Tumbados
70 to 110 BPM
Acoustic requinto guitar runs, fast and bright, over a bajo sexto and a walking tololoche or tuba.
Listen for: Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma, Ella Baila Sola
Disco & Funk 9
Funk
95 to 115 BPM
Everything lands on the one.
Listen for: James Brown, Papa's Got A Brand New Bag (Part 1)
Disco
110 to 130 BPM
A steady four on the floor kick with the hi hat opening on every offbeat.
Listen for: Donna Summer, I Feel Love
Cosmic Disco
95 to 115 BPM
Records played slower than they were pressed, so German synth pop, African funk and Brazilian grooves melt into one long, heavy drift.
Listen for: Todd Terje, Inspector Norse
Post-Disco
100 to 125 BPM
Disco stripped back after the 1979 backlash.
Listen for: Peech Boys, Don't Make Me Wait
Boogie
105 to 120 BPM
Slower and leaner than disco.
Listen for: D Train, You're the One for Me
Hi-NRG
120 to 140 BPM
Relentless sequenced octave bass, staccato hi hats and a hard, fast kick.
Listen for: Patrick Cowley and Sylvester, Do Ya Wanna Funk
Italo Disco
110 to 130 BPM
Drum machines, arpeggiated synth bass and melodic synth leads that sound like a space movie.
Listen for: Ryan Paris, Dolce Vita
Nu-Disco
110 to 124 BPM
Slow, rolling disco basslines, arpeggios and analogue synths stretched into long builds.
Listen for: Todd Terje, Inspector Norse
Synthwave
80 to 118 BPM
Gated reverb drums, pulsing synth bass and bright analogue leads that sound lifted from an 80s movie soundtrack.
Listen for: Kavinsky, Nightcall
Hip Hop & R&B 9
Old School Hip Hop
95 to 115 BPM
Two copies of the same funk record, the break looped by hand so the drums never stop.
Listen for: The Sugarhill Gang, Rapper's Delight
Golden Age Hip Hop
90 to 110 BPM
Chopped soul and funk samples stacked on hard drum machine hits from an SP 12 or SP 1200.
Listen for: Public Enemy, Fight the Power
Trip Hop
70 to 100 BPM
Slow breakbeats, heavy and dusty, with deep dub bass underneath.
Listen for: Massive Attack, Unfinished Sympathy
G-Funk
85 to 100 BPM
Slow, rolling grooves built on Parliament Funkadelic style basslines, often replayed live.
Listen for: Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Doggy Dogg, Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang
Neo Soul
70 to 100 BPM
Warm Rhodes chords, live bass and lazy, behind the beat drums that feel played by hand.
Listen for: D'Angelo, Brown Sugar
Crunk
70 to 85 BPM
Booming TR 808 kicks, slow and heavy, with stabbing synth riffs on repeat.
Listen for: Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz feat. Ying Yang Twins, Get Low
Trap
130 to 150 BPM
Deep, long 808 bass that bends and slides.
Listen for: T.I., 24's
Afrobeats
95 to 115 BPM
Rolling, swung drums built on a clave feel, log drum and shaker patterns.
Listen for: Wizkid, Ojuelegba
UK Drill
138 to 145 BPM
Sliding 808 bass that glides between notes like a trombone.
Listen for: Headie One feat. Dave, 18HUNNA
Global Crossover Pop 4
Dancehall
90 to 130 BPM
A riddim of drum machine and synth bass, digital after 1985, with a deejay chatting rhythmic patois over the top.
Listen for: Shabba Ranks, Ting-A-Ling
Kuduro
130 to 140 BPM
A hard, fast electronic beat with rattling percussion and a heavy kick, built from cheap software and pure attitude.
Listen for: Buraka Som Sistema, Kalemba (Wegue Wegue)
K-pop House
115 to 124 BPM
Deep house drums and warm chords under sharp K-pop vocals.
Listen for: SHINee, View
Reggaeton Pop Crossover
88 to 100 BPM
The dembow rhythm, a boom, ch, boom, chick pattern, under Latin pop chords, acoustic guitar and a big, sung chorus.
Listen for: Luis Fonsi feat. Daddy Yankee, Despacito
Techno 15
EBM
115 to 130 BPM
A sequenced bassline that never lets go, eighth notes locked to a stiff disco kick and a cracking snare.
Listen for: Front 242, Headhunter
Electro
110 to 130 BPM
A Roland 808 doing the heavy lifting: booming kick, snapping handclaps, rattling hi-hats in broken funk patterns instead of a straight four.
Listen for: Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force, Planet Rock
Detroit Techno
120 to 135 BPM
Machine drums that still swing.
Listen for: Rhythim Is Rhythim, Strings of Life
New Beat
95 to 115 BPM
Slow, heavy and dark.
Listen for: Confetti's, The Sound of C
Acid Techno
135 to 150 BPM
Several TB-303s at once, squealing and twisting through resonance sweeps over a hard, relentless kick.
Listen for: Hardfloor, Acperience 1
Gabber
160 to 200 BPM
A kick drum distorted until it becomes the melody, a hard pitched thud that rings like a hammer on steel.
Listen for: Euromasters, Alles Naar De Klote
Dub Techno
115 to 125 BPM
One muted chord, fed through delay and reverb until it becomes weather.
Listen for: Basic Channel, Phylyps Trak
Minimal Techno
125 to 132 BPM
Everything stripped away except the groove.
Listen for: Plastikman, Spastik
Ghettotech
140 to 160 BPM
Detroit electro and techno drum programming pushed fast, with Miami bass low end and Chicago ghetto house chants.
Listen for: DJ Assault, (explicit title)
Hard Groove
130 to 140 BPM
Tough, looping techno with swinging hip hop and funk drums, tribal toms and chopped vocal or disco samples.
Listen for: Ben Sims, Unity
Microhouse
118 to 125 BPM
House music built from tiny sounds: clicks, cut up syllables, crackles and glitches arranged into a warm, bumpy groove.
Listen for: Isolée, Beau Mot Plage
Industrial Techno
130 to 145 BPM
Distorted kicks that clip on purpose, metal percussion, and noise walls with no melody to hold onto.
Listen for: Paula Temple, Colonized (Perc Metal Mix)
Deconstructed Club
Tempo varies
Club music pulled apart: gunshots, shattered glass, scraping metal and sudden silence where a kick drum should be.
Listen for: Arca, Thievery
Melodic Techno
120 to 126 BPM
A rolling analogue bassline under long, minor key synth arpeggios.
Listen for: Stephan Bodzin, Singularity
Hard Techno Revival
140 to 160 BPM
Heavy, pumping kicks with rumbling basslines and sidechain that makes the whole mix breathe.
Listen for: Sara Landry, Mike Dean, Spiritual Driveby
Soulful / Gospel House 6
Garage House
115 to 125 BPM
Sparse drum machines, a heavy synth bassline, and space everywhere, with dub echoes on claps and vocals.
Listen for: Peech Boys, Don't Make Me Wait
Jackin' House
120 to 128 BPM
Raw Roland drum machines, a bouncing bassline, and chopped vocal stutters that repeat one word until it becomes rhythm.
Listen for: Steve 'Silk' Hurley, Jack Your Body
Gospel House
118 to 124 BPM
Organ chords and piano, handclaps on the two and four, and a lead singer testifying like it is Sunday.
Listen for: Joe Smooth, Promised Land
Vocal House
120 to 125 BPM
Organ bass stabs, a snappy kick, and one huge vocal hook sung by a powerhouse singer.
Listen for: Crystal Waters, Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)
Handbag House
120 to 128 BPM
Piano stabs everywhere, a four to the floor kick, and a big female vocal soaring over a long breakdown.
Listen for: Alison Limerick, Where Love Lives (Classic Mix)
Soulful House
118 to 124 BPM
Live sounding keys, jazzy chords, and real bass guitar feel over a warm, swinging kick.
Listen for: Masters At Work feat. India, To Be In Love
House 28
Chicago House
118 to 125 BPM
A drum machine kick on every beat, open hi hats hissing on the offbeat, claps snapping on two and four.
Listen for: Frankie Knuckles feat. Jamie Principle, Your Love
Miami Bass
125 to 140 BPM
A Roland TR-808 at full tilt: fast electro drum patterns, rattling hi hats and a sub bass kick that hums and booms for a full bar.
Listen for: 2 Live Crew, Move Somethin'
Deep House
118 to 124 BPM
Softer kicks, warm jazz chords that hang in the air, and a bassline that slips off the beat instead of hammering it.
Listen for: Mr. Fingers, Can You Feel It
Acid House
120 to 130 BPM
A cheap Roland TB-303 bass machine squelching and squealing as someone twists the filter and resonance knobs in real time.
Listen for: Phuture, Acid Tracks
Balearic Beat
95 to 120 BPM
Anything that works at dawn: Chicago house next to Spanish guitar, Italian piano tracks, funk, reggae and pop, mixed slowly.
Listen for: Sueño Latino, Sueño Latino
Italo House
118 to 124 BPM
Big rolling piano chords stacked on a Chicago style drum machine groove.
Listen for: Black Box, Ride On Time
Ambient House
90 to 120 BPM
Slow or absent kicks under huge synth pads, dub bass and spoken word samples drifting in from radio, nature recordings and old records.
Listen for: The Orb, Little Fluffy Clouds
Progressive House
122 to 130 BPM
Long tracks that build by adding and removing layers: rolling percussion, a heavy bass pulse, arpeggios and pads soaked in reverb.
Listen for: Leftfield feat. John Lydon, Open Up
Ghetto House
135 to 150 BPM
Raw 808 and 909 drum machines, a bassline, a clap and one filthy vocal line chanted over and over.
Listen for: DJ Funk, Hold Up
Kwaito
100 to 115 BPM
House music slowed down to a heavy strut, with deep bass loops and simple keyboard hooks.
Listen for: Arthur, Oyi Oyi
Tribal House
124 to 130 BPM
Percussion first: congas, toms, shakers and rim shots stacked into rolling polyrhythms over a thick kick.
Listen for: Danny Tenaglia & Celeda, Music Is the Answer
Big Beat
100 to 130 BPM
Hip hop breakbeats played loud and fat, acid squelches, rock guitar stabs and a vocal sample looped until it becomes a hook.
Listen for: The Chemical Brothers, Block Rockin' Beats
Tech House
124 to 128 BPM
The swing of house and the toughness of techno: a dry, punchy kick, shuffling hats, and a rubbery bassline that does most of the talking.
Listen for: Green Velvet, Flash
Hard House
140 to 150 BPM
A pounding kick, a bouncing offbeat bass and hoover or horn stabs that hit like an alarm.
Listen for: Tony De Vit, Burning Up (Nicole Moudaber Remix)
French House
120 to 128 BPM
A looped disco or funk sample run through a filter that opens and closes like a door, so the groove swells and breathes.
Listen for: Stardust, Music Sounds Better With You
Afro House
118 to 124 BPM
Deep, rolling percussion with live sounding congas, shakers and hand drums over a soft four on the floor kick.
Listen for: Black Coffee feat. Bucie, Superman
Funky House
124 to 128 BPM
Chopped disco and funk samples with a filter sweeping open and closed, a bouncy bassline, lush strings and a big diva vocal loop.
Listen for: Armand Van Helden feat. Duane Harden, You Don't Know Me
Electro House
125 to 130 BPM
Distorted, buzzing synth bass riffs that sound like a machine breaking, a compressed four on the floor kick, and heavy sidechain pumping.
Listen for: Benny Benassi, Satisfaction
Footwork
155 to 165 BPM
Skittering triplet kicks and 808 bass at 160, with half time space in between.
Listen for: DJ Rashad, Let It Go
Moombahton
105 to 110 BPM
Dutch house slowed down to about 108 BPM so it sits on a reggaeton bounce.
Listen for: Dillon Francis & Diplo feat. Maluca, Que Que
Organic House
110 to 124 BPM
Deep, patient house with hand drums, kalimbas, flutes, strings and live vocals over a soft kick.
Listen for: Matthew Dekay & Lee Burridge, Lost In A Moment
Gqom
120 to 128 BPM
Raw, broken kicks that never quite sit on the grid, booming bass, dark synth drones and chants.
Listen for: Babes Wodumo ft Mampintsha, Wololo
Future House
124 to 128 BPM
A bouncy, metallic bass sound that wobbles up and down in pitch, snappy garage influenced drums and a clean, bright mix.
Listen for: Tchami feat. Kaleem Taylor, Promesses
Tropical House
100 to 115 BPM
Relaxed house at a lazy tempo: marimba, steel drums, pan flute and plucked melodies over a soft kick.
Listen for: Kygo feat. Conrad Sewell, Firestone
Amapiano
110 to 115 BPM
Jazzy piano chords and airy pads over shakers and a soft kick, then the log drum: a deep, pitched, woody bass hit that bounces between the beats.
Listen for: Focalistic feat. Vigro Deep, Ke Star
Bass House
124 to 128 BPM
House drums with a shuffling hat and a dirty, growling bassline taken from UK garage, dubstep and drum and bass.
Listen for: Jauz, Feel the Volume
Lo-Fi House
118 to 125 BPM
Dusty, tape saturated house with muffled kicks, hissing hats and chopped R&B or film samples.
Listen for: Mall Grab, Liverpool Street In The Rain
3-Step
118 to 124 BPM
Afro house with three kicks per bar instead of four, leaving space that makes the groove lurch forward.
Listen for: Dlala Thukzin, Zaba & Sykes, iPlan
Trance 5
Trance
130 to 140 BPM
A steady kick under long, repeating synth arpeggios that loop and open slowly.
Listen for: Energy 52, Café Del Mar (Three 'n One Radio Remix)
Hard Trance
140 to 150 BPM
Fast, pounding kicks with heavy reverb, driving offbeat bass and sharp, gated synth stabs.
Listen for: Cosmic Gate, Fire Wire
Progressive Trance
128 to 134 BPM
Slower and deeper than classic trance: layered pads, arpeggios and a steady bassline that build over long minutes.
Listen for: BT, Flaming June
Uplifting Trance
136 to 140 BPM
Bright major chords, a rolling offbeat bass and a long breakdown with a classical sounding melody on strings or piano.
Listen for: System F, Out of the Blue
Vocal Trance
130 to 138 BPM
Trance with a pop song at its heart: a soaring female vocal over lush pads, plucked arpeggios and a steady kick.
Listen for: Delerium feat. Sarah McLachlan, Silence (Airscape Remix)
Rave / Hardcore 8
Breakbeat Hardcore
140 to 155 BPM
Sped up hip hop breakbeats layered over four to the floor kicks.
Listen for: The Prodigy, Charly
Makina
150 to 180 BPM
Hard, fast four to the floor kicks, punchy and clipped, with offbeat stabs and big rave pads.
Listen for: Chimo Bayo, Así me gusta a mí
Happy Hardcore
160 to 180 BPM
Fast, bouncing kick drums, rolling pianos and bright, soaring vocals.
Listen for: Slipmatt, Breaking Free
Breakcore
Tempo varies
Amen breaks sliced into machine gun fills at absurd speed, distorted kicks, ragga vocals and sudden shifts into classical strings or pop samples.
Listen for: Venetian Snares, Szamár Madár
Freeform Hardcore
150 to 170 BPM
Fast kick drums with trance leads and acid lines, but the structure breaks free.
Listen for: Sharkey, Product of Society
Hardstyle
140 to 160 BPM
A distorted kick drum so loud it carries the bassline itself, followed by a reverse bass on the offbeat.
Listen for: Headhunterz, Dragonborn
Donk
140 to 155 BPM
Bouncy four to the floor kicks and an offbeat donk, a rubbery thwack like a pipe hit with a bat.
Listen for: Blackout Crew, Put a Donk on It
UK Hardcore
165 to 175 BPM
Fast four to the floor kicks with trance supersaw leads and piano breakdowns.
Listen for: Darren Styles, Save Me
EDM / Pop 6
Eurodance
120 to 150 BPM
A pounding four to the floor kick with bright synth riffs and a bass that hits hard.
Listen for: Snap!, The Power
Big Room House
126 to 130 BPM
A long snare roll build, a moment of silence, then a huge drop that is mostly kick drum and one short synth riff.
Listen for: Martin Garrix, Animals
EDM Trap
135 to 150 BPM
Rap trap drums at a half-time feel: 808 kicks, rolling hi-hat triplets and heavy snares.
Listen for: DJ Snake, Lil Jon, Turn Down for What
Future Bass
130 to 160 BPM
Wide, wobbling supersaw chords that pulse with sidechain, bright major harmony, and chopped vocal samples pitched up into hooks.
Listen for: Flume feat. Kai, Never Be Like You
Slap House
120 to 126 BPM
A thick, rubbery bass with a sharp attack that slaps on every note, over a plain deep house beat.
Listen for: SAINt JHN, Roses (Imanbek Remix)
Hyperpop
140 to 180 BPM
Pop pushed to breaking point: pitched-up vocals, Auto-Tune cranked to a robotic squeal, blown out bass, and synths that sound like plastic.
Listen for: 100 gecs, hand crushed by a mallet
Garage & Dubstep 10
Baltimore Club
128 to 135 BPM
A chopped Lyn Collins Think break looped hard at around 130, with the Sing Sing drum break and stuttering vocal hooks from TV, rap and pop.
Listen for: DJ Blaqstarr & Rye Rye, Shake It To The Ground
UK Garage
128 to 135 BPM
Shuffled, swinging drums, syncopated hi hats and crisp snares.
Listen for: MJ Cole, Sincere
Speed Garage
130 to 136 BPM
Four to the floor garage, pitched up, with a massive rubbery bassline that wobbles and growls under everything.
Listen for: Double 99, RipGroove
2-Step Garage
130 to 138 BPM
The kick skips beats, so the groove stutters and swings instead of pounding.
Listen for: Artful Dodger feat. Craig David, Re-Rewind (The Crowd Say Bo Selecta)
Bassline
135 to 142 BPM
Four to the floor kicks and a wild, warping bassline that bends, buzzes and wobbles like a machine.
Listen for: T2 feat. Jodie Aysha, Heartbroken
Jersey Club
130 to 140 BPM
Kick drums in fast triplet bursts, bouncing and stuttering.
Listen for: Lil Uzi Vert, Just Wanna Rock
Dubstep
138 to 142 BPM
Half time drums with a lot of space between hits.
Listen for: Skream, Midnight Request Line
Grime
138 to 142 BPM
Cold square wave bass, stabbing synths and sparse, jagged drums at 140.
Listen for: Dizzee Rascal, I Luv U
UK Funky
128 to 132 BPM
Rolling, syncopated drums with soca and Afro percussion, offbeat snares and a skipping kick.
Listen for: Donae'o, Party Hard
Brostep
140 to 150 BPM
Screaming, distorted mid range bass that growls and tears like a metal guitar.
Listen for: Skrillex, Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites
Jungle & D&B 6
Jungle
160 to 175 BPM
Chopped Amen breaks cut up and rolled at high speed, over deep, slow reggae sub bass.
Listen for: M-Beat feat. General Levy, Incredible
Drum and Bass
165 to 180 BPM
Fast, tight breakbeats and huge, round sub bass, less ragga than jungle and cleaner.
Listen for: Goldie, Inner City Life
Jump Up
170 to 178 BPM
Simple, bouncing drum patterns and wobbling, robotic basslines that chop and snarl.
Listen for: Aphrodite, Style From The Darkside
Nu Skool Breaks
125 to 140 BPM
Broken drum patterns instead of a four to the floor kick, rolling like a hip hop beat played at house speed.
Listen for: Freeland, We Want Your Soul
Neurofunk
170 to 176 BPM
Tight, precise drums and twisting, detailed basslines that snarl and morph.
Listen for: Ed Rush and Optical, Funktion
Liquid Funk
170 to 176 BPM
Rolling, lighter drums, jazz chords and warm, melodic basslines.
Listen for: High Contrast, Return of Forever
Psytrance / Goa 6
Goa Trance
130 to 150 BPM
Rolling sixteenth note basslines under squelching 303 lines and twisting modal melodies with an Indian flavour.
Listen for: Hallucinogen, LSD
Dark Psytrance
148 to 180 BPM
Fast, twisted and heavy.
Listen for: Xenomorph, Cassandra's Nightmare
Psybient
80 to 110 BPM
Slow, deep grooves with dub basslines and swirling psychedelic synths.
Listen for: Shpongle, Divine Moments of Truth
Forest Psytrance
145 to 160 BPM
Organic and eerie.
Listen for: Arjuna & Atriohm, The Drunken Orchestra
Full-On
140 to 148 BPM
A punchy kick with a rolling, triplet bassline filling every gap.
Listen for: Astrix, Deep Jungle Walk
Progressive Psy
132 to 138 BPM
Slower and more minimal than full-on.
Listen for: Son Kite, Colours
Revival / Fusion 4
Electroclash
110 to 130 BPM
Cold 1980s drum machines and buzzing analogue synths, played with punk attitude.
Listen for: Fischerspooner, Emerge
Electro Swing
115 to 130 BPM
Samples of 1920s and 1930s swing and gypsy jazz, horns and scat vocals, over a house or hip hop beat with a punchy kick.
Listen for: Caravan Palace, Lone Digger
Phonk
120 to 150 BPM
Distorted 808 cowbell melodies, heavy bass and chopped vocal samples from 90s Memphis rap.
Listen for: Kordhell, Murder In My Mind
Brazilian Phonk
125 to 135 BPM
Distorted cowbell riffs from Memphis phonk collide with the repeated vocal chops and heavy kicks of São Paulo funk mandelão.
Listen for: MXZI, Montagem Tomada