BPM by genre

Dembow

Curated by se7en beatlab · updated July 2026

Urban · 2 subgenres mapped

115 BPM typical

Range: 110–125 BPM

Dominican dembow is faster and rawer than reggaeton, usually running 110–120 BPM with 115 as the center. The relentless, repetitive percussion loop is the whole point — energy over arrangement.

Production notes

Built on the 'pou-pou-pa' percussion loop with a driving kick and a sharp, bright snare/timbale. Tempos around 115 BPM keep it frantic and danceable. Vocals are chant-like and repetitive. Keep the low end tight; the genre lives in the mids and highs of the percussion.

Typical structure

Loop-based: intro hit → chant hook → verse → hook, with frequent percussion drops. Arrangements are short and high-energy.

Subgenres

Subgenre Typical Range
Dominican dembow 115 110–120
Dembow / pop crossover 118 112–124

FAQ

What tempo does dembow sit at?
Dominican dembow is typically 110–120 BPM, centered around 115 BPM.
Is dembow faster than reggaeton?
Yes. Dembow (110–120 BPM) is noticeably faster and more frantic than reggaeton (90–96 BPM).

Related genres

Reggaeton
Dancehall
Latin Trap
Afrobeats

More in this family

Drill
Grime
Moombahton
Your track
Is YOUR track in this Dembow pocket? Measure it
Open the analyzer

Sequencing Dembow tracks? → DJ set planner (BPM, key & Camelot, printable)

Beat's done?
Clean up the Dembow mix with The Button
Try the demo
Skip the beatmaking
License a Dembow beat instead
Open the Beat Store

Free download

Get the Se7en BPM Index (PDF)

The full BPM-by-genre cheat sheet + a gain-staging guide. Free.