The Witzard

We just recieved an email blast from our old friend, multi-instrumentalist/rapper/singer, director/editor/engineer/mixer, etc. and modern day Renaissance Man Steve "Sulu" Mallorca. Steve is a de facto one-man band operating, recording, and performing as Sulu & Excelsior (XLCR) since about 2016. Sulu & XLCR have since released two full-length albums, Eddie Romero (2016) and The AntiMatter Suite (2019) both of which we personally enjoyed and covered at length here at The Witzard. Additionally, through COVID-19 restrictions and Pandemic-related Lockdowns Sulu has recorded and released two Bandcamp-exclusive albums, as well, for various Bandcamp Friday festivities: 2020's Refinished (Remix Album) and XLCR Instrumentals (Instrumental Remix Album.) Now, Sulu & Excelsior have returned once more to share their annual NPR Tiny Desk Contest submission. If we're counting correctly, this will be Sulu's FIFTH Tiny Desk Contest submission (come on, guys, aw...

"One of the running themes [throughout] Eddie Romero can be heard in the opening and closing tracks of the album, when I rhyme: "shall I croon or shall I spit?" Basically, I wanted to play with the image of an old school crooner, "a slow jam king," that all of a sudden flips his ballad on its ear and starts rhyming all fast and frenetic. On the first single, "Up to You" this idea is in full effect; to me, I feel like the melody is really sweet and romantic, but I wanted to contrast this with a fast and somewhat hectic beat that hits hard and could be equally at home with Big Daddy Kane rhyming over it." - Steve Mallorca (Sulu & Excelsior) Eddie Romero by Sulu and Excelsior New York -based trumpet player, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, producer, rapper, and film-maker Steven E. Mallorca 's Sulu & Excelsior Facebook page self-describes his music as " Johnny Mathis meets Mos Def meets Stevie Wonder meets Nat King Cole ...