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10 songs that feel like No Drums

Matched to No Drums by Tim Hecker 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
No Drums
Tim Hecker
moderate 45/100 intensity 60 BPM
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Solo Concerts: Bremen/Lausanne — Keith Jarrett moderate 65 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (42/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (65 BPM).

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Lausanne, March 20, 1973 (Live) — Keith Jarrett moderate 65 BPM

94% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (42/100). Same layered texture.

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The Köln Concert Part IIa — Keith Jarrett moderate 80 BPM

Keeps the same contemplative pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (40/100). Measured 91% alike.

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Live in der Fabrik — Cluster moderate 85 BPM

Measures 91% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (40/100). Same layered texture.

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Death and the Flower — Keith Jarrett moderate 85 BPM

A 92% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (44/100).

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Something Sweet, Something Tender — Eric Dolphy moderate 82 BPM

90% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (40/100). Same layered texture.

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Köln, January 24, 1975, Part I — Keith Jarrett moderate 60 BPM

Keeps the same contemplative pull — runs a little hotter at 52/100. Measured 90% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (60 BPM).

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Tha — Aphex Twin moderate 135 BPM

Measures 83% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (44/100). Same layered texture.

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Parsifal Prelude — Richard Wagner moderate 60 BPM

A 82% feel-match — carries the same serene pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (41/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (60 BPM).

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Crescent — John Coltrane moderate 60 BPM

82% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it sits a little calmer at 38/100. Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when No Drums is more than you want right now.

The Big Ship by Brian Eno
The Big Ship — Brian Eno safe 60 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 8. Intensity 8/100, down from 45. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Slow Cheetah by Red Hot Chili Peppers
Slow Cheetah — Red Hot Chili Peppers safe 70 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 8, so it lands at 15/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

On Your Shore by Enya
On Your Shore — Enya safe 60 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 8. Reads 10/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Sumiregusa (Wild Violet) by Enya
Sumiregusa (Wild Violet) — Enya safe 72 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 8. 11/100, versus the original's 45.

Water Shows the Hidden Heart by Enya
Water Shows the Hidden Heart — Enya safe 72 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 8. Intensity 15/100, down from 45.

Amid the Falling Snow by Enya
Amid the Falling Snow — Enya safe 72 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 8, so it lands at 11/100 — the pull without the edge.

Dark Sky Island by Enya
Dark Sky Island — Enya safe 72 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 8. Reads 20/100.

Sarabande by Debussy
Sarabande — Debussy safe 60 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 8. 12/100, versus the original's 45. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “No Drums” by Tim Hecker?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Solo Concerts: Bremen/Lausanne” by Keith Jarrett, “Lausanne, March 20, 1973 (Live)” by Keith Jarrett, “The Köln Concert Part IIa” by Keith Jarrett — the top match scores 96% 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 “No Drums” but calmer?

“The Big Ship” by Brian Eno, “Slow Cheetah” by Red Hot Chili Peppers, “On Your Shore” by Enya keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “No Drums”?

It measures 45/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 8/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and instrumental. Tempo is 60 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 42% of songs, calmer than the other 58%. Its intensity reading of 45/100 comes from a dynamic range of 8/10, 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 slow, unhurried pace: more extreme on that axis than 100% of everything we've measured. At the far opposite end of the library sit the songs built on full chaos — sudden changes, huge quiet-to-loud swings, and relentless energy — 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.

Dial the feeling up or down

Same feeling, bigger: Orion — Metallica

What it’s good for

Sleep5/10
Focus9/10
Workout3/10
Dinner8/10
Party / hype3/10

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

2011 in context

The 372 songs we’ve measured from 2011 average a dynamic range of 6.4/10. At 8/10, this track is louder and more dynamic than its year.

Mixes smoothly with

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

The fingerprint

Intensity45
Dynamics78
Tempo11
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability100
Vocal force0
Trigger load13

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

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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