The excitable new-school electro drum'n'bass of Friend formed part of the highly respected Swedish label Dot, which broke out of the gate in early 1997 with four impeccable EPs -- one each by Hab, Tupilaq, Quant and Friend. Both "Chromosome for Sale" and the later "Sauna Sessions" were pieces of electro-jungle fusion tuned with an unusually fine hand, and on Friend's double-pack Single of the Week EP, he received help from friend Doktor Kosmos (of Komeda) for a surprisingly straightahead quasi-pop song. Friend's debut album Hot Rod appeared on Dot in September 1997. ~ John Bush