Los Angeles (April 18th, 2016) Firepower Records is proud to announce the next release of our Shellshock Compilation, Kamikaze, and we’re getting early reports that it’s already setting flammable material ablaze thousands of miles away. The release of our yearly Shellshock Compilation also gives us a chance to reach out to you, our extended Firepower Fam, and celebrate the fact that you are what make us so strong.
Since its humble inception in March of 2012 by Troy Beetles— Datsik by his nom de guerre—Firepower Records has evolved into a bass music behemoth, releasing heavyweight producers like Datsik, Protohype, Getter, Barely Alive, Truth, Bear Grillz, Mayhem, Antiserum, Fox Stevenson, Must Die, PhaseOne, Terravita, ETC! ETC! and Trolley Snatcha and featuring Hip Hop and Rock royalty like Snoop Dog, Trinidad James, KRS-One, DJ Paul KOM of Three-6 Mafia and Travis Barker of Blink 182. The Firepower Family currently claims 65 artists and counting and on May 13th, the label will showcase the best and most badass it has to offer. As a show of overwhelming support, some of dance music’s heaviest hitters have signed on by offering tracks exclusively for the ShellShock Kamaikaze release. The tracklist reads like a bass music “best-of” list. If Bass Music had a fantasy league, this would be a winning line-up.
But Firepower is more than a disjointed and disconnected series of artists and tracks. We like to consider ourselves more of a Family and the ShellShock Kamikaze release as more of a family reunion. Firepower Records is a label and an internationally respected dance music brand, but it would be nothing without the like-minded artists, friends, neighbors, and fans that hold it all together and keep it alive.
There’s no finer example of the familial nature of the bass music world than the first collaboration on the Compilation. Datsik and 12th Planet come together with a dub infused “Party In The Sewer” featuring Elan, and it’s massive. A one-man wub factory, Datsik smashes the track with his signature wobbles, while 12th planet puts his creative beat creation and swampy sound techniques to work. Next, returning family member Bear Grillz throws down with “Nap Gurlz”. The disco hook pumps your impulse to dance and the drops will snap your neck if you’re not prepared. A quick word though–this track is in no way associated with the good people of Nap Girls, and if you’re interested in who they are, check them out! Protohype and Stratus put in work with “Let’s Do This”, and as expected the two artists march us through a spectrum of sound structures so diverse you lose your mind trying to keep track. Soltan continues to impress us with his creative vision. With “Turn Up” he takes Bass Music to the edges of the known universe and then hits lightspeed. Soltan is easily one of the new visionaries, and we should all be watching him closely.
EH!DE and Funk4mation peel the roof off with “Come Back”, and the Bass living under the basement of this track is scary and mad. EH!DE’s been crushing it recently, but it goes without saying that this has been the year of Zack The Lad. His release Black Sheep began the Firepower Records release calendar in 2016 and we just can’t get enough. It has been said that Datsik only has a few artists loaded into his personal iPod, and one of those artists is Zack The Lad. Here, he offers us “Won’t Stop”, and his production skill is immediately superior.
Spag Heddy is back with “Hugs and Stuff”, and we couldn’t be more stoked. A definite fan favorite, Spag Heddy has released nothing but fire. The opening wraps the listener with sonic sunshine and then slams your ass to ground. That must be the “Stuff” in the title. Init, Goldplate, and Hami all put in on “Greens”, and with all three of these stellar talents maximizing potential, the result is an epic facemelter. If there’s any way to guarantee the crowds will run a mosh pit on you, hammer this track through the sound system.
It’s been a while since AFK rolled out a release with Firepower Records, and we’re glad to have him back. “Death Gun” showcases the frenetic and yet focused musical mind of AFK. The synth takes us all over the sonic map, and we love it. We also love Drum and Bass, and what’s bass music without a little heavy Drum and Bass? Leave that to MineSweepa. “No Face” takes bass very seriously. The shift to Drum and Bass is perfectly placed in the track and by the time it hits, you’ve separated your mind from its corporeal lodgings. Rounding out the EP is Twine. They do nothing but amazing work, and it’s clear by the complexity of their productions. “Dayjahvuh” is another reminder that Bass Music is nowhere near finished evolving. The beat structure, with its diversity of fills and intricate sound designs, is both groovy and heavy.
The collection of talent contained in the Shellshock Kamikaze Compilation represents the best of what bass music has to offer and we’re happy to be sharing it with you.
The tracklist for Shellshock Kamikaze is:
- Datsik & 12th Planet – “Party In The Sewer” (feat. Elan)
- Bear Grillz – “Gurlz”
- Protohype & Stratus – “Let’s Do This”
- Soltan – “Turn Up”
- EH!DE & Funk4Mation – “Come Back”
- Zack The Lad – “Won’t Stop”
- Spag Heddy – “Hugs And Stuff”
- Init, Goldplate & Hami – “Greens”
- AFK – “Death Gun”
- MineSweepa – “No Face”
- Twine – “Dayjahvuh”
For More Information on Firepower Records
https://soundcloud.com/firepowerrecs
https://www.facebook.com/FirepowerRecs
https://twitter.com/firepowerrecs
www.youtube.com/user/FirepowerRecs
For Press Inquiries, contact:
Lee Underwood
Publicity Manager I Firepower Records
]]>“ Livin’ it” featuring Micah Martin comes out strong with a scorching Dubstep roller infused with a soaring synth arrangement. Protohype immediately displays his production prowess by installing his signature growls, which balance over the top of a more melodic top line. Micah Martin’s voice accompanies the tune perfectly and introduces a classic dub style of vocalism. The track is complex and provides a solid peak hour selection for any bass music set.
Protohype and Minesweepa come together with lyricist Malcolm Anthony for “100”, the first of two tracks Anthony will lend his vocals to. Protohype has always been able to successfully pair his tracks with proper lyricists, and Malcolm is no exception. Rapping over a Bounce bassline in “100”, he transforms the track from a full-throttle rave tune to a festival sing along. With “Lights On”, he shows he can shift gears and create a more euphoric soundscape. The song is gorgeous, and it provides a nice interlude to the hard-as-nails tracks comprising the rest of the EP.
Whenever Datsik and Protohype get together, at least one of the results is a new dance floor smasher. That’s what we have with “Dubs & 50’s”. One part Dubstep crusher and one part sex-on-the-dancefloor bass anthem, the track shows the creative range of two of the world’s most talented bass producers. Classic Datsik Wubs permeate the tune, but there’s a decidedly ambitious attempt to defy all genre categories. The result is a track that’s always changing and never the same.
Stratus jumps on “Drop The Hammer” which feature Ras on vocals. The track is destructive and features a three beat cocktail that, when mixed with a dance floor, is extremely volatile. Cycling from a break and drumstep beat to trapstyle to Moombahton, the track only demands everything from the audience and leaves only sweaty bodies. It’s a party igniter, plain and simple.
Rounding out the EP is “Loco”, and it lives up to its namesake. Init comes on board and influences Protohype’s nastier, mechy side. Much more minimal and mechanical than the sweeping anthems Protohype normally orchestrates, “Loco” is designed to get under your skin and stay there. Init has a knack for this kind production, and he works well to balance all the melody of the previous 5 songs.
The tracklist for Puppy Crew is:
- Protohype – “Livin’ It” (Feat. Micah Martin)
- Protohype & Minesweepa – “100” (Feat Malcolm Anthony)
- Datsik & Protohype – “Dubs & 50’s”
- Protohype & Stratus – “Drop the Hammer” (Feat, Ras)
- Protohype – “Lights On” (Feat. Malcom Anthony)
- Protohype & Init – “Loco”
For More Information on Protohype:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/protohypemusic
Twitter – https://twitter.com/protohype
Soundcloud – https://soundcloud.com/protohype
For more information on Firepower Records:
Beatport.com/label/firepower/24439
For press inquiries, please contact:
Lee Underwood
Publicity Manager I Firepower Records
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“Champagne Skin” opens the EP with a bare-knuckled punch to the gut. Listen closely; MineSweepa’s sound design prowess is evidenced by the details hidden within the larger skull-splitting synth. Balancing the track is a pleasant euphoric section, which accentuates the emotional rollercoaster this track is designed to lock you into. On remix duties is Shindig, who uses the euphoric sections of “Champagne Skin” as his inspiration. Light and airy at times, Shindig puts his skills on the keys to the test. The result is a serene yet sinister future funk head banger.
MineSweepa shows his range with “Head Roll”, and it should really be contained in a vacuum-sealed glass case with a warning on the outside that says, “break in case of emergency”. The track is an Electro peak hour weapon designed to wreak as much havok on a dance floor as possible. It’s the kind of audio tool Dubstep producers are exceptionally adept at designing, and MineSweepa is no exception. But MineSweepa also pays tribute to many of the Electro House producers of a decade ago by incorporating classic sounds and beat techniques. This track is not for the weak willed; like a Samurai Katana or a Nepalese Gurkha, once out, it must draw blood.
“Tit Tat” brings the past and future of bass music together by creating an incredibly addicting piece of bass wizardry. With hints of the heavier Trip Hop beat structures reminiscent of Robert Miles’ 2001 Organik album, MineSweepa experiments with future bass sounds inspired by the stylings of mid-90’s hip hop. Minimal without being boring, heavy without being too in-your-face, this track is your one-way ticket to bass bliss.
The tracklisting for Absent is:
1. MineSweepa – “Champagne Skin”
2. MineSweepa – “Head Roll”
3. MineSweepa – “Tit Tat”
4. MineSweepa – “Champagne Skin” (Shindig Remix)
For more information on MineSweepa:
http://www.facebook.com/MineSweepa
http://twitter.com/minesweepa
http://www.youtube.com/user/MineSweepaMusic
https://soundcloud.com/minesweepa
https://instagram.com/minesweepa/
For more information on Firepower Records:
firepowerrecords.com/
https://soundcloud.com/firepowerrecs
https://www.facebook.com/FirepowerRecs
https://twitter.com/firepowerrecs
For Press Inquiries, contact:
Lee Underwood
lee@firepowerrecords.com
Publicity Manager I Firepower Records
(Los Angeles) April 6th Since its humble inception in March of 2012 by Troy Beetles—otherwise known as Datsik—Firepower Records has evolved into a bass music behemoth, releasing heavyweight producers like Datsik, Protohype, Getter, Truth, Bear Grillz, Mayhem, Antiserum, Fox Stevenson, Must Die, Proper Villains, PhaseOne, Terravita, Infuze, and Fei Fei, and featuring Hip Hop royalty like KRS-One and DJ Paul KOM of Three-6 Mafia. The Firepower Family currently claims forty-four artists and counting. On May 5th, the label will celebrate an impressive milestone: the 100th release! As a show of overwhelming support for this special achievement, some of dance music’s heaviest hitters have signed on by offering tracks exclusively for the Shell Shock Legends release. The tracklist reads like a bass music “best-of” list. If Dubstep had a fantasy league, this would be a winning line-up.
But Firepower is more than a disjointed and disconnected series of artists and tracks. We like to consider ourselves more of a Family and the Shell Shock Legends release more of a family reunion. Firepower Records is a label and an internationally respected dance music brand, but it would be nothing without the like-minded artists, friends, neighbors, and fans that hold it all together and keep it alive.
Harnessing the chaos is Sharra Duggan, one of the few female executives at the helm of an international dance music label. In September of 2012, Sharra was asked by Troy jump into the fray and steer the label in the right direction. In 2013, after a number of hugely successful releases, she changed her full-time occupation to “Label Manager” and moved to LA where she resides today. She sits at the helm of one of the biggest Dubstep labels on the planet. Together, with Troy Beetles acute music sense and her gregarious personality and tenacious work ethic, Firepower has garnered an extremely loyal artist base that returns to release on the label year after year. Getter and Protohype, for example, helped establish the heavy Firepower sound that fans have grown to love. Protohype offers two tracks to the Shell Shock Legends compilation: a collaboration with Datsik and Init called “Turf Wars”, and “Recon”, a collaboration with the Australian based PhaseOne. Getter throws down, too, with a massive heater called, naturally, “The Heat”.
As the label evolves, Troy and Sharra continue to engineer a shift in how we perceive bass music. By welcoming the Trap and Hip Hop influences of artists like Antiserum and Tha Trickaz, Sub Antix, and Minesweepa, they push the often stifling Dubstep genre towards and through the edges of its know universe. “Boom”, a collaboration between Antiserum and Tha Trickaz, is a wicked look into the sound Firepower successfully integrated into the Catalogue.
Troy and Sharra are also aware that it takes new blood to sustain the Firepower movement. Arguably, one of Datsik’s most notable additions to the Firepower Family was the Bass phenom Twine, whose meteoric success has seen him rise through the ranks quickly enough to be featured prominently on festival stages and festival playlists all over the world. Twine offers up “Insanity” featuring the inimitable word-smithing of Mayor Apeshit to the Shell Shock Legends compilations, and it’s a filthy, swampy, mind-splitter.
Since 2012, Firepower Records has progressed from one release every other month or so to the release-per-week machine the label is today. In the process, Troy and Sharra cultivated and nurtured a family of artists that really loved working with the label. It became a Firepower Family, and the members ultimately devoted themselves to the label, rewarding their hard work with loyalty. Sharra’s leadership and Troy’s clairvoyance allowed the label to weather the “Dubstep is Dead” storm, not by pushing back in a futile attempt at self-validation, but by becoming a business chameleon and adapting to the changing landscape. Firepower Records outsmarted the critics by focusing on the fundamentals and the truth driving the passion.
Shell Shock Legends is all the proof you need.
Tracklist for Shell Shock Legends:
1. Datsik, Protohype & Init – “Turf Wars”
2. Antiserum & Tha Trickaz – “Boom”
3. Infuze & Proper Villains – “Galaxia”
4. Datsik – “Troynado”
5. Protohype & PhaseOne – “Recon”
6. Truth – “Break Out” (Feat. Taso)
7. Twine – “Insanity” (Feat. Mayor Apeshit)
8. Datsik & Bear Grillz – “Fuck Off”
9. Getter – “The Heat”
10. Minesweepa – “PaperChase” (Feat. Alexander the Great)
11. Sub Antix – “Mr. Miyagi”
12. Downlink & Terravita – “The OG”
13. Helicopter Showdown & EH!DE – “Balderdash”
For Press Inquiries, contact:
Lee Underwood
lee@firepowerrecords.com
Publicity Manager I Firepower Records