← Back to Negativland

10 songs that feel like Negativland

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

Negativland
The song you love
Negativland
NEU!
moderate 38/100 intensity 138 BPM
♪
First Step — Hans Zimmer safe 100 BPM

A 91% feel-match — carries the same spacious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (34/100).

♪
Sound and Vision — David Bowie moderate 120 BPM

90% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Same layered texture.

♪
Sunbathing — Lush safe 95 BPM

Keeps the same spacious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (36/100). Measured 87% alike.

♪
Mallet Quartet — Steve Reich moderate 144 BPM

Measures 96% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (34/100). Same layered texture.

♪
Cornfield Chase — Hans Zimmer moderate 126 BPM

A 95% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (40/100).

♪
Hawaii Five-O — The Ventures safe 140 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (34/100). Same layered texture.

♪
Wheel Hoss — Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys safe 140 BPM

Keeps the same energetic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Measured 96% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (140 BPM).

♪
Rondo Alla Turca — Mozart moderate 140 BPM

Measures 96% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Same layered texture.

♪
Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois — Sufjan Stevens moderate 90 BPM

A 86% feel-match — carries the same spacious pull and sits a little calmer at 32/100.

♪
Chameleon — Herbie Hancock moderate 108 BPM

92% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

Vogue by Madonna
Vogue — Madonna safe 116 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 38/100, down from 38.

The Eternal by Joy Division
The Eternal — Joy Division safe 112 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 26/100 — the pull without the edge.

Spacelab by Kraftwerk
Spacelab — Kraftwerk safe 125 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 6. Reads 22/100.

Weissensee by Neu!
Weissensee — Neu! safe 135 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. 25/100, versus the original's 38. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Für Immer by Neu!
Für Immer — Neu! safe 128 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. Intensity 18/100, down from 38. Nearly the same tempo, too.

E-Musik by Neu!
E-Musik — Neu! safe 135 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6, so it lands at 19/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Near Light by Ólafur Arnalds
Near Light — Ólafur Arnalds safe 75 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 21/100.

re:member by Ólafur Arnalds
re:member — Ólafur Arnalds safe 65 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. 27/100, versus the original's 38.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Negativland” by NEU!?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “First Step” by Hans Zimmer, “Sound and Vision” by David Bowie, “Sunbathing” by Lush — the top match scores 91% 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 “Negativland” but calmer?

“Vogue” by Madonna, “The Eternal” by Joy Division, “Spacelab” by Kraftwerk keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Negativland”?

It measures 38/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and instrumental. Tempo is 138 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 27% of songs, calmer than the other 73%. Its intensity reading of 38/100 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 90% 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 / hype4/10

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

1972 in context

The 269 songs we’ve measured from 1972 average a dynamic range of 6.0/10. 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

Intensity38
Dynamics56
Tempo54
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability0
Vocal force0
Trigger load13

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

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

Find its sonic twin →
Share on X
Check another song →