FWD» began at central London's Velvet Rooms in 2001. This year it celebrates its fifth birthday. Five groundbreaking years of exclusive beats to skank to and b-lines that make your chest cavity shudder. Call it dubstep or grime this is a celebration of a London sound and scene.

Back when it started 2step garage was peaking: all swing and bling. FWD» 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, FWD» is its home. Grime, before it even was called grime, was flung down here.

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 FWD».

Martin Clark London 2005