Does BPM = "Energy"?

[photojojo]

When rating songs by energy it's important to take the whole song into consideration and what genre the song is. A high energy deep house song is not going to be the same as a high energy electro house song even though they may have the same energy rating.

[Flash101uk]

Music is mathematics and physics

NO! Just NO!

Music is a feeling, it is not to be dissected into component parts based on BPM or key. It is much more fundamental that that. These two help, and are significant aspects of every song, but they do not convey energy levels.

You need to feel the music, not analyze it. When you listen to a track for the first time, close your eyes, dont hear a BPM or a key, hear the chorus of harmonys that have been composed just for you. Then, you will answer your own question.

[Alex Wild]

Duuuuuuuude...

[Nick V]

I'd say timbre is more important that BPM. That's pretty much how I build sets when playing straight techno since it's all going to be roughly the same BPM. I'll start with the the dubby stuff which doesnt have much going on in the high and mid end, really subdued hats, thick baselines, etc. and then move up to the progier stuff with a lots of big mid range chords and stabs, and finally to the bangers which have lots of cymbals, hats, percussive, atonal sounds.

[lethal_pizzle]

Music IS mathematics, especially rhythm and harmony...

[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_and_mathematics"]Music and mathematics - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

...luckily to us humans, certain intervals and time divisions sound naturally good to us; so we don't really have to sit down and work it all out. It just sounds good.

[riotto]

Im glad ive been able to start, what I feel, is an interesting topic on DJTT

So if BPM isnt inherently energy, and neither is Key, what is?

Lets say, for example, there are 3 categories of tracks;

1. Slower beginning of set songs
2. 'Build Up' songs ( which gradually increase the energy )
3. Club Bangers ( the songs with the highest intensity )

Is there anything at all that can constitute this besides just ear? Is there any analysis of songs to categorize them withe energy that isnt completely subjective.

With BPM we can measure "speed"
With Keys we can measure tone.
With ? we can measure intensity/energy?

[Just Friday]

Traktor starts to settle a solution with his spectrum track visualisation... Most of my energetic tracks are shown with a purple/pink dominance, and the chilly one are going into the greens or the blues...
Of course, there's a lot of exceptions, but it works often.
But it depends of the style you play, like guessing what the track might sound like by watching the waveform, I imagine it's a question of habits and feeling...

[Destrukto]

Is there anything at all that can constitute this besides just ear? Is there any analysis of songs to categorize them withe energy that isnt completely subjective.

With BPM we can measure "speed"
With Keys we can measure tone.
With ? we can measure intensity/energy?

Rhythm perhaps. In a way. Well, all the factors you mention contribute in a way. But rhythm is often the the one giving you the feeling that coveys the energy. But, like all the other factors, it can't speak for itself. To define the energy of music is probably not x = y, But more the equation itself, probably why it's so elusive. Gees, am I making sense?

[racoon]

So if BPM isnt inherently energy, and neither is Key, what is?

i can only speak for psychedelic trance music:

the basslines are built in diferent ways
(k = kick, b = bass)

k-b-b-b

or

k-b-b

or

k-b

how often the "kick" kicks in one minute = bpm

but how often the bass is heard between 2 kicks will make a HUGE difference in the "felt bpm" so it can be that a "k-b-b-b" built track on 148bpm feels faster than a "k-b-b" produced track on 158bpm

[Deejaesnafu]

Duuuuuuuude...

thats what i was thinking