Lushlife, a.k.a. Raj Haldar, has been dropping mixtapes since 2005, when he released his debut entitled West Sounds, which was a mashup of The Beach Boy’s classic Pet Sounds and Kanye West’s College Dropout and Late Registration as well as his own verses. On his first label release Plateau Vision (Western Vinyl), Lush continues to develop his eclectic style, combining ‘60s psychedelic, experimental indie and golden era hip hop sounds to create the grandiose, maximalist soundscape beats that he rhymes over.

With his latest LP, Lush establishes himself as a unique artist who is able to take influences from various genres, sounds and eras of music to develop a completely original style that has one foot in classic hip hop and the other through the doorway of the future. This distinctive style is displayed immediately on the album’s opener “Magnolia.” The track combines a beautiful harp sample over a hard boom bap beat with lyrics that reference composer Burt Bacharach, the graffiti culture of Wild Style, Citizen Kane’s Xanadu and Afrika Bambaataa’s “Planet Rock” through his gritty Nas-esque vocal delivery. In “Hale-Bopp was the Bedouins,” which features Das Racists’ Heems, Haldar references his technique as “half-Delorean, half-rap historian.”

Plateau Vision boasts an impressive guest list of artists including Andrew Cedermark (Titus Andronicus), Styles P and Shad amongst others, but Lushlife always shines through as both an emcee and a producer. The first feature comes from Styles P (famous for his work with ‘90s hip hop crew LOX) on “Still Hear The Word Progress,” one of the LP’s standout tracks. Lushlife trades bars back and forth with the iconic emcee at a furious pace without losing a step over a dense synth and 8-bit beat. Towards the halfway point of the album, Lush shines brightly with fellow Philly emcee and former Atlanta native STS on “Glistening,” and he hands over the mic on “Gymnopedie 1.2” to critically acclaimed Canadian emcee Shad while crafting one of the most interesting beats on the Plateau Vision by sampling one of 20th century French composer/pianist Erik Satie’s “Gymnopedies,” which fades out under a clip from Busy Bee and Kool Moe Dee’s classic emcee battle, tying Haldar’s classical and jazz upbringing with his “fetish” for golden era hip hop culture.

Lushlife is definitely one of the most interesting artists in hip hop today. He continues to push the genre’s boundaries with his production while remaining true to its culture through his vocal delivery and preservation of its history throughout his lyrics. Plateau Vision is available for streaming HERE, and you can purchase the album via Western Vinyl. – Dan Brightcliffe

XPN just announced their lineup for this year’s XPoNential Music Festival at Wiggins Park in Camden, NJ, which will be held July 20 – 22. Local acts on the bill are The War on Drugs, Good Old War, Work Drugs, City Rain, Dana Alexander and Matt Santry Band. Also included this year with a 3-day pass is access to the lawn area for performances by Wilco/The Avett Brothers/Dr. Dog on Saturday and Counting Crows on Sunday at Susquehanna Bank Center. You can check out the rest of the festival’s lineup and ticket info HERE.

Local emcee Jawnzap7 a.k.a. Randall Quinn just leaked a new track called “White Haired Lady” for free download from his new album stating “my best rap song ever…lol.” Actually, you’d most likely hear the thrashed out jam in a Philly basement rather than bumpin’ at the club on a weekend night as Quinn shares with us his Ice-T/Body Count moment.

Prowler continues down a more chilled out, sinister musical path than the hyperactive funk fest that we are used to from the local five-piece with their latest murky “swamp rock” track “Decrease the Beast.” You can download it for free below.  

Naming your venue something as quirky as Kung Fu Necktie is a promise to concertgoers that they’ll be in for something off the beaten path. Tonight those who make their way to our beloved watering hole are in for just that, as local natives Inzinzac bring their free jazz ruckus in support of drumming virtuoso Ruins (Alone). With drummer Eli Litwin’s remarkable ability to keep time, guitarist Alban Bailly and saxophonist Dan Scofield let it rip, allowing their compositions to grow organically, and though it may sound chaotic, Inzinzac’s jagged compositions have a definite logic that would make John Zorn proud. Their knack for improvisation keeps things unpredictable, and often leads to jaw-dropping displays of skill. Aggressive, dynamic and wild – Inzinzac are sure to put on a show that’ll please the art crowd and fans of bands that know how to shred their instruments. Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 8pm, $8, 21+ – Adam Downer