No Reading Allowed Author Raj Haldar Returns with New Lushlife Single "Hessdalen Lights" from Redamancy EP (Fortune Tellers)
Lushlife (Rajesh "Raj" Haldar) has long been one of our favorite emcees/producers here at The Witzard. We've been closely paying attention to and following his career since about 2005 upon the release of his Kanye West/Beach Boys mash-up mixtape, West Sounds. Lushlife has since let loose a gaggle of genre-defying releases including, but not limited to, collaborations with Ariel Pink, Killer Mike, CSLSX, Cities Aviv, STS, Dice Raw, Heems, Zilla Rocca, Sad13, R. Stevie Moore, Kevin D'Mello (Fakevinyl, Forevertron,) Camp Lo, eLZhi, billy woods, Moor Mother, John Morrison, and Khruangbin. As you can see, Lushlife has always comfortably teetered the fine line in-between Hip-Hop/Indie Rock; a prime example of this being "In Soft Focus" from Lushlife's 2009 effort, Cassette City, credits Rajesh Haldar with backing vocals/turntables, drums from Kyle Cedermark, primary features from Ariel Pink & eLZhi, and production from Lushlife himself.
Lushlife's last full-length project was 2017's MY IDOLS ARE DEAD + MY ENEMIES ARE IN POWER (or Idols + Enemies, for short) although, in the years since, he has been far from inactive. Haldar served as The Philadelphia Eagles' official Touchdown Club DJ from 2015-18 assembling numerous Eagles Game Day Spotify mega-playlists and even remixed The War On Drugs' GRAMMY-winning "In Chains" at the end of the 2017-18 season. Raj Haldar has, additionally, forged a side-career as an acclaimed author with his witty 2018 children's picture book P Is for Pterodactyl: The WORST Alphabet Book. It has already spawned two like-minded spin-offs, P Is for Pterodactyl Coloring Book: The WORST Coloring Book Ever and Raj Haldar's Most Wondrous Creativity Card Game Ever. Earlier this year, Haldar returned with his second published book, No Reading Allowed: The WORST Read-Aloud Book Ever.
Both books' widespread success earned Raj Haldar a TV development deal for said kids' book projects, as well as a "Social Horror" TV series set in India entitled Cult of Aghori. Just yesterday afternoon, Lushlife returned with his first offering of proper solo music since Idols + Enemies, an ethereal new single entitled "Hessdalen Lights." BrooklynVegan, who premiered Lushlife's "Hessdalen Lights" upon its release yesterday, called it an "airy, psychedelic, genre-defying song, which is a very promising first taste of the EP." It boasts a feature from Dirty Projectors Felicia Douglass and said EP will, additionally, feature select members of Irreversible Entanglements, HPrizm (FKA High Priest of Anti-Pop Consortium,) Noise-Rap God heads dälek, and more.
Redamancy, Lushlife's forthcoming 2021 EP is already being billed an ambitious project which aims to "re-cast classic East Coast Hip-Hop in the context of an Astral Jazz synth odyssey." An entirely self-produced EP, Redamancy successfully "[creates] a universe where gorgeous synth arpeggios and Bomb Squad squeals fit hand-in-hand" and "bristles with the energy of an artist willfully deconstructing his sound into something new," according to a press release. Lushlife's Redamancy EP will become available early next year, Friday, February 19, 2021 on Peter Matthew Bauer of The Walkmen's new imprint, Fortune Tellers. Both P Is for Pterodactyl: The WORST Alphabet Book and No Reading Allowed: The WORST Read-Aloud Book Ever are now available to order online just in time to help (un)confuse your favorite pre-schooler this holiday season.