Fourward began producing drum and bass in Austria in 2007, after Dominik Rank, Ludwig List, Lukas Roher and Niklas Bru came together as a four-member collective. The members had grown up in the same area, skateboarding, DJing and making music around the same time. They shared an interest in drum and bass and wanted to develop a sound of their own. Bad Company, Noisia and Ed Rush & Optical were among their influences. A member described Fourward’s style as underground, steppy neuro-funk, and spoke of musical tastes that cross genres. That member also credited his father, who played flugelhorn in an ensemble, as an early influence.
Early support came from Austrian duo Body&Soul, who took an interest in Fourward’s music, and Crissy Criss, who played it on his radio show. The group signed tunes to Subsonik Sound, Planet Funk and Fokuz, and its first event was in 2009. Fourward’s releases later appeared on labels including Virus Recordings, Vision Recordings, Audioporn, SGN:LTD, DSCI4, RAM, Drum & Bass Arena, UKF, Citrus Recordings and Mainframe Recordings. In 2013, the group put out the Aftermath EP on Audioporn Records. Fourward also made remixes for Moby, The Upbeats, Foreign Beggars and Alix Perez.
Fourward released the album Expansion on Shogun Audio in 2016, followed by the album Lose Control in 2020. Its Hope EP came out on Elevate Records, and the title track was named Annie Mac’s Hottest Record in the World on BBC Radio 1. In 2019, Rank and Bru left the project; List and Roher carried on as a duo after more than a decade with four members. Their later releases included the 2022 single “Dangerous Waste Product / Sound Of The Underground” on Eatbrain and the 2024 single “Show Me Love” on Elevate Records.
In 2025, Fourward played Arena Wien. The duo’s 2026 work included the single “Your Gaze” on IMPOLITE Records and “Redesign”, a single with Ruby AT on Mainframe Recordings. They also collaborated with Kate McGill on the single “Out Of Your Depth”, released on Manifest in 2026.
