Dub dot dash

JUST LOSE IT
Mike Elizondo drops the basslines and writes tunes with Dr Dre - interview with him over here. His credits include writing and co-producing for Eminem and 50 Cent.


Jeff Chang's excellent book Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the HipHop Generation comes out in the paperback edition August 4 in Australia/UK, and is available here via Random House from Sept 9 (their site lists it as a "funny and charming book opens the door to many possibilities of the garden shed" - huh???) - local price will be $45. I bought it via Amazon back in Feb and landed it here for $30 all up - the hardback edition, that is. And the new album from local dub heavyweights International Observer is out August 5, called All Played Out. Can't wait.


Go, Stephen!
From local paper the Central Leader... local DJ Selecto and his lady have been having a few troubles, one for all you Kingslanders....


Construction overrun
29 July 2005 By ESTHER HARWARD

A Kingsland fashion design business is claiming $20,000 in compensation for losses incurred during prolonged building of a new railway station.

Sera Mitchinson and Stephen Wilson, who opened the Selector clothing store next to the Kingsland station in March last year, are seeking the money from the Auckland Regional Transport Authority. They say business was initially good, but customers were turned off when builders moved on to the station site last December.

They had to close their doors for eight weeks while power and phone cables were laid under the footpath, they had workmen smoking on their doorstep and harassing women coming into the shop and customer parking on Sandringham Rd was taken up by construction vehicles. They are angry builders have only just finished work on the site, six months after they were told by the authority the job would be complete and disruption would be kept to a minimum.

The couple, who have a five-year-old daughter and twins born earlier this year while trying to keep their business going, have had to borrow from the bank and Ms Mitchinson's parents to cover the rent. Their landlord gave them a rent holiday between September and December last year, but that did not make up for loss of earnings, they say.

"Unless something absolutely miraculous happens, we'll have to shut our doors. We'll have to find a workroom somewhere and get into wholesaling," says Ms Mitchinson. "We started off fine, and everything was going according to our business plan, but we've wasted a year's worth of establishing our business.

"We had a $20,000 enterprise allowance from Work and Income New Zealand and we feel like it's been completely wasted.

"Ideally, we would make back all the money we've lost, but at the very least we've asked for the $20,000 to start over again."

Mr Wilson says it is the worst time of year to try to get back on their feet, because most people have already bought winter wardrobes or are buying in the sales. Last week, they sent cashflow records to the authority, showing their forecasted earnings were initially on target but plummeted by up to $4000 a month after building started.

Authority infrastructure project manager Roger Mace says he is considering the request and expects to have a response in a week.. Construction firm Arrow International, which was contracted by the authority to improve facilities at Kingsland station, fired two workers after complaints about wolfwhistles at women. Project manager Andrew Quinn told Auckland City Harbour News in April that the company had tried to keep neighbours informed about the delays, and had reminded workers to leave car parking free outside the shop.