Background
v. Foreground BPM
by
Rob
Wegner
February 2004
Many DJ's are
unaware that some songs have more than one BPM (Beats Per Minute).
For example, if you timed Brian Setzer's Jump Jive and Wail,
you will discover that - depending on the beat you choose - there
are two discernible BPM's. The "foreground" tempo of
the song can be counted at 99 beats per minute; while the faster
"background" tempo (aka "quick beat") can
be counted at 198 BPM, which is exactly twice the speed of the
foreground BPM.
Generally, when a song
has two BPM's the slower foreground tempo can be found when you
tap your foot to that song; while the background tempo can be
found when you tap your pencil (as if playing a cymbal or high-hat).
Popular classics such as Elvis Presley's Jailhouse Rock
(84/168) or Bobby Darin's Mack the Knife (78/156) have
two BPM's.
Many DJ's that
play jungle/drum-n-bass have incorporated this knowledge to add
hip hop tracks into their mixes. This is because many hip hop
songs are roughly half the BPM of most jungle and drum-n-bass
tracks. For example, if a jungle track has a background BPM of
180 (and foreground BPM of 90), a hip hop track near the 90 BPM
range should - in theory - beat mix into the jungle song.
Thus, if you
discover that a song has two BPM's - and you are unsure about
choosing a correct speed - it's quite possible that this song
has two BPM's - and both numbers can be assigned to that track
(when labeling a record with its BPM).
Photo: DJ Mea (Photo by Disc Jockey
101)
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