BPM - Range definitions please

**Huffstutler** · April 24th, 2006, 09:05 AM

We all know the importance of BPM especially during the disco era but does anyone have a chart showing the rage brackets of what style of disco falls within each? Like where does Hi-NRG start and end or where does slow dance/hustle styles fall?

Thanks!
Eric

**QUINNY** · April 24th, 2006, 05:04 PM

BPM alone doesn't define genres. If you can't feel it, then you shouldn't be playing it.

**needlefingers** · April 24th, 2006, 07:54 PM

Here's a few web pages that might help you:

http://www.discomusic.com/101-more/24_0_7_0_C/

http://www.discjockey101.com/oct2004.html

http://www.ssqq.com/stories/speed1.htm

**Disco Funk** · April 24th, 2006, 08:16 PM

Originally Written by QUINNY

BPM alone doesn't define genres. If you can't feel it, then you shouldn't be playing it.

LOL, that's our Quinny - irascible and slightly ornery! :)

I can't tell the difference between the sub-genres. I don't know the difference between hustle, Hi NRG or Northern Soul. I didn't realize that BPM ranges were another way of categorizing various styles. For me, it's all about latin, funk, soul, jazz, euro, or just plain philly disco.

The last link is interesting on how it refers to two beats. Do they mean double time, like Hall & Oates 'Maneater', where the snares are half way between the down beat (bass drum) and up beat (snare)? In other words, the bass drum is kicking on every beat, with the snare in between each kick?

Disco Funk

**Mixmachine** · April 24th, 2006, 09:31 PM

Originally Written by Huffstutler

We all know the importance of BPM especially during the disco era but does anyone have a chart showing the rage brackets of what style of disco falls within each? Like where does Hi-NRG start and end or where does slow dance/hustle styles fall?

Thanks!
Eric

Most club dancers enjoyed dancing best within the 116 bpm to 128 range, higher and you are beginning to get into the High Energy territory all the way up to 140 bpm, below 116 is mostly sleaze, including many funky/soul popular numbers, this range is best for the beginning of the night or very late in the night (early in the morning , 8) )in the 130's it was pure High energy as it was already called in the late 70's, although many dancers also did the “Hustle” at this speed with certain "pretty" songs , the Hustle was also danced with many early Hustle favorites that fall in 114 to 118 range. ("Let do the Latin Hustle" etc),

I used bpms mainly to help me come up with mixes that seem far out and that I would have never though of trying (Especially useful for throwing in forgotten oldies), but even if the BPM matches, the music also needs to match other wise the segue mix doesn't sound good even though technically the mix was flawless.

**Huffstutler** · April 25th, 2006, 11:19 AM

Thanks needlefingers but none of the links really cover all the ranges and only one was about disco. The new "house" "garage" and "techno" music of the 80s and beyond don't even jive with disco equivalents.

**needlefingers** · April 25th, 2006, 11:36 AM

I wasn't trying to answer the whole question. I was just directing you to some websites that I found.

You can try it yourself. Just type "Disco BPM range" into the search engine.

I only searched thru the first two pages of returns. There is a lot more out there.