By: Anand Harsh

Meet the final nail in the coffin of the whole "dubstep is dead" debate.

Datsik's Firepower Records has become the go-to label for the tough-as-nails brand of heavy bass music that the Canadian DJ/producer has been pioneering for nearly a decade. While fads in the EDM industry change by the hour, Troy Beetles (Datsik) and Firepower label manager Sharra Duggan have managed to keep things fresh by not just grabbing big names, but finding undiscovered young talent from around the world, and incorporating trends in the industry like trap, as well as the resurgence of drum and bass.

"It's crazy to think that only three years ago I created this label purely as a platform for all the super talented young kids who kept sending me their tracks but had no where to put them out," Beetles notes, "and now we are approaching our 100th release and have over 45 incredible artists on deck. It's a pretty awesome feeling."

With its 100th release, Firepower gives a nod to the artists who helped build this brand into the bass behemoth it is with the Shell Shock Legends compilation. OG's of the label like Getter, Terravita, and Antiserum make triumphant returns, as well as newcomers like Twine and Mayor Apeshit, who have helped the label evolve and adapt to changing tastes across the sonic spectrum.

Today's premiere of the lead-off track from the comp, slated for a May 5th release, is the perfect fusion of everything that has made Firepower succesful. Datsik is joined by one of the biggest stars of the label, Protohype, as well as one of its rising stars, Los Angeles' Init. The trio march through drumstep stomper "Turf Wars," which takes the heavy dubstep sound that has become the Firepower signature, and melds elements of trap hip-hop, and drum and bass in a powerful gumbo of subsonic spice.

You couldn't ask for a stronger statement to kick off this historic record.

"It's incredibly rewarding to be approaching this huge milestone of 100 releases and the label's 3 year anniversary," Duggan adds. "All I can say is keep it locked because we are just getting started!"

Shell Shock Legends tracklist

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”