Everything You Need to Know About Downtempo

In terms of music styles and genres, downtempo, or downbeat music, is a broad subgenre of electronic music.

However, the term ‘downbeat’ also has an alternative meaning in music: it describes the first and strongest beat in every measure. Besides ‘downbeat,’ we distinguish two other relevant terms — ‘upbeat’ and ‘backbeat.’ The term ‘upbeat’ is used to define the last beat in a measure, while ‘backbeat’ signals the stresses of the second and fourth beats in a 4/4 song.

Now, let’s go back to downbeat music. Typically slower than dance music, this genre is closely related to ambient but places a stronger emphasis on the beat and the groove. Overall, downtempo is considered a laid-back, soothing, almost tranquil electronic music style that is often played in relaxation clubs or as ‘cool down or warm up’ music during a DJ set.

Although downtempo is rather flexible when it comes to its music form and the rules that shape it, there are several elements that downtempo tracks typically share.

First, downtempo is characterized by its atmospheric sound. Instead of catchy melodies and captivating guitar riffs, artists focus more on layering sounds to create a soothing, comforting ambiance and sensual, romantic feel. This makes downtempo music ideal for unwinding and letting off steam after a long, overwhelming day or for creating a serene, relaxing atmosphere during a yoga, meditation, or stretching session.

As the name suggests, beat plays a vital role in downtempo. Typically, slower beats accompany the tracks — around 90–110 BPM — but the tempo and drum pattern can generally differ from track to track. Sometimes, the beat can be relatively simple and restrained, while other times, it is more complex, expressive, and poignant.

The beat itself is not enough to create music that evokes a relaxing mood. A gentle and soft melody is a key ingredient in the recipe! Downtempo tracks generally embrace a relatively strong melodic skeleton, with artists often incorporating more melodic phrases than purely ambient music. This also makes the songs more recognizable and diverse than ambient songs.

Downtempo emerged during the blossoming times of the Bristol Sound. The Bristol Underground Scene was a cultural movement that hit Bristol in the early 1980s. The artistic wave was primarily born out of the desire to provide a platform to a diverse range of then-emerging genres, including hip-hop, reggae, jazz, dubstep, grime, and drum & bass. In the heart of the scene lay the ‘transmission of immigrants’ cultures,’ which ultimately gave rise to the city’s multiculturalism and political activism.

Experimentation, which likely came from blending cultures, was also integral to the Bristol Sound. The city has been particularly associated with the emergence of trip-hop, which has been described as a slow, psychedelic fusion of hip-hop with electronica (or electro music), often incorporating influences from jazz, soul, funk, and rap music. Trip-hop is often perceived as the first emergence of downtempo and was pioneered by influential acts like Massive Attack, Portishead, and Tricky.

Towards the 1990s, slower-paced music became increasingly popular, which eventually gave birth to chillout rooms — designated relaxation sections in clubs or at electronic music events. Nightmares on Wax was considered a pioneer in downtempo electronica in the UK, with the genre slowly spreading internationally, particularly in Ibiza, Austria, and the USA.

As usual in electronic music, the influence of other genres, including pop, jazz, funk, reggae, dubstep, and more, led to the formation of several downtempo subgenres, most notably downtempo pop, chillwave, or lo-fi hip hop.

Downtempo pop is a type of synth-based psychedelic music characterized by mellow beats, lo-fi melodies, and vintage synthesizers.

Chillwave highlights notions of memory and nostalgia. It commonly features retro pop sounds, slow tempos, dreamy, lo-fi aesthetics, mellow vocals, and effects processing. The genre is also known for escapist lyricism, often evoking summery, beachy vibes.

Finally, lo-fi hip-hop blends elements of hip-hop with chill-out music. It originated alongside the underground beat-making hip-hop scene in the 2000s but gained major popularity on YouTube in the 2010s.

Born in Brighton and based in LA, Bonobo is an English DJ known for incorporating jazz, world music influences, and organic instrumentation. He debuted in 1999 on an album compilation, When Shapes Join Together, which was soon followed by an EP Scuba, and his debut album, Animal Magic. His 2017 album Migration is one of his most famous and critically acclaimed and was composed in several locations (that’s what inspired the title). Overall, he’s released seven studio albums and is a five-time Grammy nominee.

Tycho is a multi-talent musician, record producer, and songwriter, as well as a photographer and designer (known under the name ISO50 in this department). He often blends various stylistic components, including analog synthesis, downtempo guitar, and ambient elements, such as breathing or the sounds of weather forecasts and film dialogue. The best album credited to Tycho is his second album, Dive, released in 2011 after five years of production. His fourth and fifth albums, Epoch and Weather, received a Grammy nomination for Best Dance/Electronic Album.

The Cinematic Orchestra, a British band established in London in 1999, has produced and released four studio albums throughout its career. Throughout its career, the band has created mostly nu-jazz and downtempo music, often remixing live source materials to create a combination of jazz improv and electronica. Their last record, To Believe, received excellent reviews across several media and music-related outlets, including Metacritic, Q, AllMusic, and Clash Music.

The US-American musician and producer Moby played a vital role in bringing electronic music, particularly dance music, to the mainstream audience. He gained international success with his 1999 downtempo-blues record Play, which eventually sold over 10 million copies worldwide. Many of his other studio albums were produced in downtempo, including 18, Hotel, and Wait for Me. He’s also been experimenting with other electronic music genres, including techno, ambient techno, electronica, electronic rock, and industrial rock.

Previously, we’ve mentioned Massive Attack as one of the pioneers of Bristol Sound and trip-hop. Established in 1988, the band is still musically active and has released five studio albums so far. Regarding style, Massive Attack has been known for slower-paced music and atmospheric dynamics, often evoked through guitar crescendos, orchestral arrangements, and prominent basslines. Remarkably, some of their most famous songs do not contain choruses. Their fourth studio album, 100th Window, is the most downtempo-infused one and notably features vocals from Sinéad O’Connor and Blur’s Damon Albarn.