Casino Royale
CRX

If we were to take a walk down the long and winding corridor of Italian music, we might notice, nailed to the wall with a slightly rusty but still solid nail, the "portrait" of Casino Royale; yes, okay, maybe it would be dusty and recently lost its color, but it certainly hasn't been forgotten!

The confirmation comes from the "visitors" at each of their "exhibitions." Ready to dive into an electronic sea made of the most diverse sounds and the most blurred images? Let's go! Strange story that of Casino Royale... more than a true band, a collective of people collaborating together to defeat the gray daily life that Milan offers to its inhabitants; that's how Casino Royale were born, born with the intent to play with music, mess up its hair, bring together the most contrasting colors of sound until creating a canvas that seems senseless to the inexperienced eye, but makes great sense to those who stop to look not only with their eyes but also, and above all, with a heart free from thoughts.

A continuous contamination that has never found an end. It all started in 1987 thanks to the King of soul made in Italy, the legendary Giuliano Palma, and the great Ferdi, one who chews music but doesn't spit it out; the start of their career is marked by three splendid albums all in English: "Soul of ska", "Jungle jubilee" in Italy and "Ten golden guns" in England. The group performs twice at London's International Ska Festival, 4 years and over 300 live performances up and down the boot, major protagonists at Arezzo Wave and opening band for Vasco Rossi in 1990. Their penchant for experimentation grows, and they quickly become one of the first Italian crossover bands (though it's not exactly the most appropriate word), ska moves further away to make room for soul, rock, and heavier electro-pop, chill out, and hip-hop contaminations; thus begins their enduring collaboration with Dj Gruff (formerly of Sangue Misto), RadioGladio, and Ben Young, who had already collaborated with Almamegretta... the "played" music with classical instruments meets the electronic sound of the sampler and the "high voltage" sound of various synths.

After albums that made history like "Re senza trono", "Sempre più vicini" and "Adesso! - live 1996", in 1997 they release "CRX" (X stands for 10, the maximum), the last album with King Palma and other members of the historic lineup! "CRX" is an album from the future, and we're talking about 1997; it is an album unique in its own way because it is endowed with a unique sound in its genre... yes, but which genre? Categorizing it as a hip-hop album would be too easy and carefree, defining it as an alternative, technological and experimental album wouldn't be right, so we can define it with a single genre, the genre of Casino Royale!

The first track, "CRX", the one that gives the name to the whole work, you must know it (no, I won't allow otherwise), who knows how many times you've heard it on the radio or TV and said: "Not bad, catchy in its own way, but who are they?"; it alone is worth the whole shebang, including the puppets: what immediately strikes is Alioscia's way of "rapping", (the group's legendary MC), slurred, almost choked, very syncopated, and madly original, Giuliano's voice brings out the best, the instrumental track approaches yet at the same time moves away from the hip-hop sound to delve into a more minimal yet ingenious and intriguing sound. The dreamy lyrics, like all of Casino's lyrics, do their dirty work: "I reflect, hearing 3000 already, I reflect, lost in my supermarket, I reflect, shut inside the freezer, I reflect, now waiting for the bill".

Alienated, cold, and solitary, "The future" leads to another dimension built by bass, drums, flute, and rarefied atmospheres, Alioscia's voice blends with King Giuliano's in a unique and unforgettable way, and as they try to explain "each stop is just another start". No, don't be afraid, it's all part of their sadistic game. The simple beauty of "Ora / Solo io ora", a mixture of jazz funk, is relaxing and magical, the lyrics flow smoothly, the unfettered meter is the strength, and what you expect to happen is precisely what won't happen... Dj Gruff at the helm, all other instrumentalists in tow! "In picchiata" touches the chill-out sound, while, "Hi/Fi" has that certain reggae something, that certain soul something, that certain electronic something I still want to discover.

Their latest single, "Milano double standard", is galactic, but if you want to savor the true C.R., I suggest taking a leap back to 1997 and fully enjoying this album!