Fourward is an Austrian drum and bass project whose music connects intricate bass production with a willingness to explore more melodic ideas. It began as a four-person collaboration, with its studio arrangements changing as members moved and their circumstances developed. In a 2016 UKF interview, Ludwig and Lukas explained that much of the production was concentrated around them, while the other members continued contributing.
Early catalogue connections included Virus Recordings, with a remix of The Upbeats’ Alone helping introduce their work to Friction and Shogun Audio. In a retrospective interview, the musicians identified those records and relationships as significant stages in the project’s development. The progression connected their established production work with a new label setting.
The 2016 album Expansion (Deluxe Edition) became a substantial document of that Shogun period. Its original tracks include Run Your Mouth with Friction, Everytime with Mefjus, and Senseless with Icicle. The collaborators form part of the album’s range, while the tracklist retains a clear Fourward identity across heavier and more melodic material.
Discussing the record, the producers credited Friction’s involvement in helping them refine it, with the album process demanding decisions beyond simply collecting finished tracks. Its later anniversary edition added remixes, creating another route into the music while keeping those versions distinct from the original album. For listeners discovering Fourward, Expansion offers both the neurofunk strand for which the project became known and evidence of interests that extend beyond its hardest records.
