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Afrobeats loops to build on

Percussion-first production out of Lagos, Accra, London and Johannesburg — afrobeats, afroswing and amapiano in one room.

All genres
1 looplive right now
StylesAmapianoAfroswingMelodic
MoodUpliftingRomanticEnergeticChill
TempoUsually 100–115 BPMBPM by genre guide →
GuideHow to make Afrobeats: drums, percussion, chords and bass →

What Afrobeats loops usually bring

Afrobeats loops are percussion first. Shakers, congas, talking drum and layered kick patterns carry the groove, with clean guitar lines, bright keys, horns or a vocal chant on top. It is common to publish the percussion and the melody as separate loops, so a collaborator can rework one without the other.

Tempo usually sits between 100 and 115 BPM, with many records around 105 to 110. The groove swings rather than sitting straight on the grid, and that push and pull between the percussion parts is much of the genre's feel. A loop quantised completely flat tends to lose it.

Collaborating on Afrobeats loops

Afrobeats collaborations often cross borders, with a loop made in one city and a beat finished in another, which is exactly when writing the agreement down matters most. Settle who is credited, and how, before the beat goes to an artist, and use full legal names where the paperwork asks for them.

On ColabLoop, you ask the loop's owner to build on it, and if they accept, a private room opens with the full WAV to take into your own DAW. When the beat is released, both of you attest that the owner is on the split. ColabLoop records those attestations; registering the split with a PRO or distributor is still yours to do.

Afrobeats questions

What BPM is Afrobeats?
Afrobeats usually sits between 100 and 115 BPM. Many records sit at 105–110, percussion first. These are conventions, not rules, and nothing on ColabLoop restricts the tempo of Afrobeats loops.
Should an Afrobeats loop be quantised?
Usually not all the way. The swing, and the slight looseness between percussion parts, is the genre's feel. Tighten anything that drifts badly, but leave the groove in.
What instruments are common in Afrobeats loops?
Percussion first: shakers, congas, talking drum and layered kicks. On top of that come clean guitar lines, bright keys, horns and vocal chants. Guitar and percussion together carry many records on their own.

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