By: Scotty Fuller
When it comes to music, few have taken their whole sub-genre by the nuts quite like Datsik has with dubstep. His face-crushing bass and futuristic sound has made him one of the most sought after acts in music today. Last year, Datsik followed the lead of other pioneers in the EDM game like Pretty Lights and Excision and created his own record label. Firepower Records boasts a roster of artists who have been laying waste to clubs and festivals with their rowdy, explosive bass and their unique individual styles. Today, Firepower celebrates its one year anniversary with the release of appropriately titled Shell Shock.
From beginning to end Shell Shock rarely disappoints. Datisk’s squad of bass- droppers all brought their best for this party and it shows. The LP starts off with the Frim’s "Bassline Skanka." An ominous piano and a dark, robotic voice at the beginning of the song gives you a feeling that something bad is about to happen. Follow your gut and turn up the speakers because "Bassline Skanka" will melt your face and scare your dogs. From there, Shell Shock continues to rock your senses with some hard hitting dubstep crushers from CKS, Two Fold, and the man himself, Datsik. In "Juicebox," Datsik plays around with his instrumental side and pulls it off wonderfully. But what else would you expect from the captain of this bass ship?
Other standout tracks include the wildly catchy trap jam by Antiserum and Mayhem, "Trippy." Next up is Firepower Records’ best kept secret, Rekoil, and his larger than life track "4-matic." This crusher is probably the song that will make you crash your car on the highway if you aren’t careful. Rekoil has an incredible production presence on his songs that is reminiscent of the label’s CEO.
One of the most surprising songs on the LP comes from Getter. "I Want More" is a funky, fun jam with a bass drop that gets grimier than the bottom of the gutter. Personally, this was my favorite song on the compilation. At the end of the album, Barron closes it out nicely with "Full Throttle," a song that sounds exactly like the title and lives up to the quality of the rest of the project.
Overall, Datsik and his henchmen make a strong statement with this offering that they are a force to be reckoned with. With only a year under their belt, the label only seems to be gaining momentum and is poised for a whirlwind of success.