Back when it started 2step garage was peaking: all swing and bling. Forward» was born as a place for London's underground headz who preferred grimey sounds to glitzy garms. The club soon moved to Plastic People, the ultimate soundbwoy venue. Dark, bassy and informal, headz poured off east London's dark streets to imbibe new music late into the night.

The club has grown to become a bastion for fresh sounds. To dubstep, South London's dark garage hybrid, Forward» is its home. Breakbeat garage evolved from the early post-jungle experiments through to the current breakstep sound. Grime, before it even was called grime, was flung down here.

From the first night in, Forward» was essential attendance. Who remembers J Da Flex flinging down the El-B dubs at the very first night? Or Slimzee and Maxwell D repping for Pay As U Go: proto-grime in motion. Lyrical innovators like Wiley, Ms Dynamite, Crazy Titch, Riko, Skepta and Rodney P blessing the mic? Do you know every one of Crazy D's lyrics, the FWD» host who's made dubstep his own? Were you there when Hatcha first dropped Artwork's ÔRedÔ or Digital Mystikzâ ÔPathwayz?Ô Who heard Zed Bias play Zinc's ÔHelloÔ or Oris Jay drop his own breaks anthem ÔSaid the Spider?Ô Did your jaw drop when Youngsta cut double-dubplates of Skream's ÔLate Night Request Line?Ô

Forward»'s faithful did. And that is what makes it unique. It's not just that it's a place that producers create all their beats for, or a place where DJs define themselves by their sets there. What makes the club unique is its status as a cultural meeting point for the diverse melting pot that is London. No matter what ends you're from, if you like dark, heavyweight riddims, you reach Forward».

Martin Clark
London 2005