"Editorial abstract illustration evoking the emotional arc of a song titled "CMYK" by James Blake. Noticeable climb from quiet to loud. layered composition, overlapping color planes. Mood: introspective, melancholy, reflective. Visual style: contemporary editorial aesthetic. Painterly, grainy film texture, muted palette with strategic accent colors. The composition should read left-to-right like a timeline — calm on one side, intensifying toward the other. Strictly no faces, no text, no logos, no literal objects, no band imagery. Pure color-field abstraction with emotional weight. 16:9 editorial format."
Balanced energy, right in the middle of 19,209 measured songs — measures out best for focus.
120
BPM
CMYK by James Blake is 120 BPM — Allegro (fast).
Half-time 60 BPM · Double-time 240 BPM · released 2010
Fan image for "CMYK"
An abstract illustration of what this song feels like. Each image is built from a prompt — the text description fed to the image generator. Listeners submit their own prompts, upvote the ones that fit best, and the top-voted prompt drives the next regeneration. After 100 image votes, we make a new picture.
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Song DNA
Notes: The song features a haunting blend of soft vocals and electronic production, creating an immersive auditory experience. Its layered textures and dynamic shifts evoke a sense of emotional depth.
Misophonia Triggers
Recommended for: deep listening meditation relaxation
CMYK is an atmospheric track that combines soulful vocals with intricate electronic beats, showcasing James Blake's unique style.
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Hear it the way it was made
The right gear changes everything.
Moods: introspective, melancholy, reflective
Traditions: electronic
Volume Warning
"CMYK" climbs hard.
Dynamic range 7/10 places this in our upper band. The opening volume that feels comfortable will not be comfortable at the climax. If you are setting this up for a focused listen, anchor your volume to the quietest section, not the loudest. The arc is the point of the song; if you blunt it by riding the volume knob, you lose what makes it work. James Blake built the dynamic shape on purpose. Plan around it.
How this song sits on each sensory axis
A dynamic range of 7/10 means this song moves. Expect a real volume climb between quiet sections and the loudest part of the arrangement — enough that you may want to set the initial volume below where you'd normally land.
Sudden changes: mild. There are one or two transitions worth knowing about, though they're musically resolved rather than surprise-driven.
Texture is layered — a full arrangement with clear separation between parts.
Predictability is medium — conventional structure overall, with one or two moments that deviate from what you'd expect.
Vocal style: soft vocals.
Where this sits in James Blake's catalog
We have 31 songs from James Blake in the library. Of those, 2 are rated Safe, 29 Moderate, and 0 Intense. This song's dynamic range of 7/10 sits above the artist average of 6.7, making it the #3 most dynamic track of theirs in our library.
2010 context
Released in 2010. We have 254 songs from that year in our library, averaging a dynamic range of 6.5/10. This track is about average than the year average. Explore more from the 2010s.
Explore by mood and tradition
Traditions
electronic · 920Guides that may help
Karma Police: Radiohead’s Eerie Joke About Power and Paranoia
Karma Police began as a band in-joke and became one of Radiohead’s defining songs — a queasy meditat…
How fast is "CMYK"?
120 BPM — Upbeat (dance-pop / running warm-up)
For running
Slow jog or recovery run pace. Matches a 120-140 stride-per-minute cadence.
For workouts
Steady cardio, power walking, light weights.
For daily life
Driving, getting ready in the morning, light party.
Browse more songs at 120 BPM.
When "CMYK" works, and when it doesn't
Use-case verdicts computed from the song's tempo, dynamics, and sensory profile.
✗
Focus / studying
No — too dynamic or too many surprises. Save for active listening.
✓
Running / workout
Yes — 120 BPM sits squarely in the running / cardio band. Matches natural stride cadence.
✗
Sleep / winding down
No — contains elements that will keep an awake nervous system engaged.
✓
Driving / road trip
Yes — predictable enough for safe driving attention, interesting enough to stay engaged.
✓
Cooking / dinner background
Yes — sits in the background without demanding attention.
✓
Emotional release / catharsis
Yes — this is a song for actively feeling what you came to feel, not for background.
Related reading
Editorial guides that cover this song's use cases, moods, or artist.
James Blake — the silence between notes is the song
Why James Blake's production works on your nervous system: a deep dive into negative space, dynamic range, and the silences that make his ca…
The 10 Calmest Albums Ever Recorded — A low-intensity Listening Guide
The 10 Calmest Albums Ever Recorded — A low-intensity Listening Guide — A guide for sensory-sensitive listeners on musiciwant.com
Electronic Music Sensory Guide: From Ambient to Industrial
Electronic Music Sensory Guide: From Ambient to Industrial — A guide for sensory-sensitive listeners on musiciwant.com
Why this rating
We rate this song Moderate because it falls between our Safe and Intense thresholds on at least one dimension. Moderate is the default for most well-produced music that has real arc but no surprise elements. Full rubric: methodology.
This song in the Music Studio
45/100 intensity
See how “CMYK” sits against your own sensitivities, or use it as a waypoint in a calmer set.
Listen on
Spotify and YouTube links go direct to the track when we have the ID; otherwise they search for it. Embed this sensory profile on your site →
Rating last reviewed: 2026-04-16. Reviewed by the Music I Want editorial team against the documented methodology.
Think this rating is wrong? Contact the editor — every message is read and ratings get revised.
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 7/10, layered texture, mild shifts, and soft vocals. 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 59% 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
Too Many Kids Finding Rain in the Dust — Nicolas Jaar · 99%We Disappear — Jon Hopkins · 99%Keep Me There — Nicolas Jaar · 99%A Lot of Girls — Nicolas Jaar · 99%
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
Sleep5/10
Focus9/10
Workout6/10
Dinner8/10
Party / hype5/10
Scored from this song’s tempo, intensity, dynamics and texture — not crowd votes.
2010 in context
The 254 songs we’ve measured from 2010 average a dynamic range of 6.5/10. At 7/10, this track is right in line with its year.
Mixes smoothly with
We Disappear — Jon HopkinsKeep Me There — Nicolas JaarToo Many Kids Finding Rain in the Dust — Nicolas Jaar
Within a few BPM and close in feel — they flow without a jarring transition.
The fingerprint
Intensity45
Dynamics67
Tempo44
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force25
Trigger load38
The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.
Frequently asked about "CMYK"
Quick answers pulled from the song's sensory analysis.
What is the BPM of "CMYK" by James Blake?
"CMYK" by James Blake has a tempo of 120 BPM (Allegro (fast)). At half-time that is 60 BPM, and at double-time 240 BPM.
What is the sensory intensity of "CMYK" by James Blake?
"CMYK" by James Blake rates as Moderate intensity. Dynamic range 7/10, mild sudden changes, layered texture. Moderate is the default for well-produced music with real arc but no surprise elements.
How loud is "CMYK" — what is its dynamic range?
"CMYK" has a dynamic range of 7/10. Noticeable climb from quiet sections to loudest point. Set opening volume slightly lower than your preferred peak.
Does "CMYK" have sudden or surprising changes?
"CMYK" has mild sudden changes — one or two transitions worth knowing about, but they are musically resolved rather than surprise-driven.
What is "CMYK" best for?
In our library "CMYK" is recommended for: deep listening, meditation, relaxation. These tags are assigned only where the song's sensory profile genuinely supports the use case.
When was "CMYK" released?
"CMYK" is from 2010, on the album "Bleep: The 100 Best Tracks of 2010". It appears in our 2010s catalog.
What is the emotional mood of "CMYK"?
We tag "CMYK" as introspective, melancholy, reflective. Moods are tonal descriptors based on how the song reads emotionally — separate from the sensory intensity axes.
What is the vocal style of "CMYK"?
The vocal style is soft vocals.
Is "CMYK" good for running?
Yes — at 120 BPM it sits in the running-cadence band (120-180 BPM). Match your stride to the beat and it keeps pace with most recreational runners.
Is "CMYK" good for studying?
Only partially. The song's dynamic range (7/10) means there will be loud moments that break focus during deep work.
Can I use "CMYK" for sleep?
Not recommended for sleep. Contains transitions that will wake you up.
Should I listen to "CMYK"?
"CMYK" is Moderate intensity — fine for most listeners, but with enough dynamic activity that it works best as active listening rather than background.
Songs with the same DNA
layered texture, similar intensity — across any genre or era.
Safer alternatives with a similar feel
These songs share similar moods but with a gentler sensory profile.
What this song means to people
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Where to next?
You know how this one feels — now go find the next one.