Clarks Corner

Im handing it over to Blackdown for all things dubstep. If you want to join the fan club, postcards to the usual address... *This article appeared in a recent issue of Blues & Soul.* "In celebration of legendary club night Forward's fourth birthday, Martin Clark aka Blackdown, a journalist, blogger and producer who's been documenting the movement that is Forward, shares with us its rise and essential tracks... FWD>> began at central London’s Velvet Rooms in 2001. This month it celebrates its fourth birthday. Four groundbreaking years of exclusive beats to skank to and b-lines that make your chest cavity shudder. Call it dubstep, grime or breakstep, this is a celebration of a London sound and scene. 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 “Red” or Digital Mystikz’ “Pathwayz?” Who heard Zed Bias play Zinc’s “Hello” or Oris Jay drop his own breaks anthem “Said the Spider?” Did your jaw drop when Youngsta cut double-dubplates of Skream’s “Late Night Request Line?”
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>>".
Top anthems...
Artwork 'Red' (Big Apple)
"Minimal yet funky like week-old socks: one of the foundations of new school dubstep."
Darqwan 'Said the Spider' (Texture)
"When Sheffield’s Oris Jay flung down the breaks: clubs got torn to shreds."
Digital Mystikz ‘Neverland’ (DMZ)
“"Pathwayz” broke DMZ. ‘Neverland’ breaks the dancefloor."
DJ Zinc 'Hello' (Bingo)
"When breaks ruled UKG, there was no bigger tune."
El-B & Juiceman 'Buck & Bury remix' (unreleased Ghost)
"Streatham’s godfather of dubstep skanked dark and tribal."
Elephant Man 'Log On (Horsepower mix)' (white)
“"Sholay” and “Classic Delux” went deep: this went dangerous."
Kode 9 'Kingstown (dub)' (Hyperdub)
"New school, post-grime weighline."
Loefah 'Horror Show' (DMZ)
"The dawn of the halfstep revolution. Be afraid."
Plasticman 'Cha' (Terrorhythm)
"Pure energy grime from south London."
Skream 'Request Line' (Tempa)
"Current dubstep anthem so big on road it’s getting licked back by Roll Deep."
Zed Bias 'Superfine' (Soulja)
"Zed earned original godfather status too. “Easy my man."
11 Forward>> anthems from the last four years, compiled in alphabetical order, by Martin Clark www.blackdownsoundboy.blogspot.com