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10 songs that feel like Cubik

Matched to Cubik by 808 State on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

The song you love
Cubik
808 State
moderate 39/100 intensity 124 BPM
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Star Guitar — The Chemical Brothers moderate 123 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same uplifting pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (123 BPM).

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Sun Drums and Soil — Four Tet moderate 120 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100). Same layered texture.

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Kool FM — Four Tet moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same uplifting pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Coal Train — Hugh Masekela moderate 120 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100). Same layered texture.

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Vasco — Hugh Masekela moderate 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same uplifting pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Matador — Grant Green moderate 120 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100). Same layered texture.

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Carryin On — Grant Green moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same uplifting pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Let the Music Take Your Mind — Grant Green moderate 120 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100). Same layered texture.

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Emkay — Bonobo moderate 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same uplifting pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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The Saint — Orbital moderate 125 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Cubik is more than you want right now.

Friday I'm In Love by The Cure
Friday I'm In Love — The Cure safe 135 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 34/100, down from 39.

Shiny Happy People by R.E.M.
Shiny Happy People — R.E.M. safe 135 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 42/100 — the pull without the edge.

Holiday by Vampire Weekend
Holiday — Vampire Weekend safe 120 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 45/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

This Time I Know It's for Real by Donna Summer
This Time I Know It's for Real — Donna Summer safe 118 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 41/100, versus the original's 39. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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When Tomorrow Comes — Eurythmics safe 117 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 45/100, down from 39. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Roanoke by Bill Monroe
Roanoke — Bill Monroe safe 128 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6, so it lands at 18/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Grazing in the Grass by Hugh Masekela
Grazing in the Grass — Hugh Masekela safe 120 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 35/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Arrival of the Queen of Sheba by Handel
Arrival of the Queen of Sheba — Handel safe 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 40/100, versus the original's 39. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Cubik” by 808 State?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Star Guitar” by The Chemical Brothers, “Sun Drums and Soil” by Four Tet, “Kool FM” by Four Tet — the top match scores 99% alike. Matching is by how the songs actually move (intensity, dynamic range, texture, tempo, predictability, vocal force), not by genre tag or popularity.

What songs are like “Cubik” but calmer?

“Friday I'm In Love” by The Cure, “Shiny Happy People” by R.E.M., “Holiday” by Vampire Weekend keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Cubik”?

It measures 39/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and instrumental. Tempo is 124 BPM.

How do you decide which songs are similar?

Every song in our catalog is measured on 8 dimensions — intensity, dynamic range, tempo, sudden changes, texture, predictability, vocal force and fine sound detail. Similarity is the distance between two songs across those measurements, so matches cross genres and eras. Shared mood tags break ties.

By the numbers: how this song compares

Computed from this song’s place among the 19,209 songs we’ve measured.

Where it sits in 19,000 songs

On our 19k-song scale this lands in the middle band — more energetic than 32% of songs, calmer than the other 68%. Its intensity reading of 39/100 comes from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild shifts, and instrumental. It shares this stretch of the spectrum with thousands of other tracks, so the finer fingerprint below is what really separates it.

What makes it unusual

What stands out most about this song is a fast, driving tempo: more extreme on that axis than 81% of everything we've measured. At the far opposite end of the library sit the songs built on near-total stillness — steady volume, no surprises, a slow and unhurried pulse — the kind of track this one is the counterpoint to.

Feels almost identical to

Closest matches by feel across all 19,209 measured songs — not by genre or artist, by how they actually move.

What it’s good for

Sleep6/10
Focus10/10
Workout5/10
Dinner8/10
Party / hype5/10

Scored from this song’s tempo, intensity, dynamics and texture — not crowd votes.

1990 in context

The 238 songs we’ve measured from 1990 average a dynamic range of 6.5/10. At 6/10, this track is right in line with its year.

Mixes smoothly with

Within a few BPM and close in feel — they flow without a jarring transition.

The fingerprint

Intensity39
Dynamics56
Tempo47
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force0
Trigger load25

The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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