Immanuel Casto
Io Batto

Transgressive or simply brilliant? Depraved or sensational? Unique or repetitive? Pathetic and unoriginal?

Immanuel Casto, defined as the king of Porn Groove, the Casto Divo Vergineo, with his antics exported into provocative songs ranging from 80s dance, to glam, to groove, to synth-pop, is becoming a hit on the internet, in various trendy spots, even getting decent radio airplay, for example on Radio Deejay.

Fascinating, with ambiguous looks and gestures, the Divo offers us strong productions, very direct lyrics and videos, leaving nothing to the imagination. With his provocative and transgressive attitude, he has gradually managed to emerge in a society like the Italian one, still uptight and not open to certain topics that might offend and disgust. The mini disc in question, with the direct title "Io Batto", already gives us a hint of what he addresses in his lyrics.

The first track "Battito Anale (Anal Beat)" with an accompanying provocative video is the confirmation of this mix of strong ingredients. No one had ever openly exalted sodomy in such an ironic and amusing way with a dance rhythm that can enchant you and an ending that is nothing short of absurd, in which the classic "Gioca Jouer" is revisited, clearly in an erotic way.

It continues with "50 Bocca / 100 Amore", a provocation to the world of prostitution, a direct way to denounce the abuses and depravation present not only in those places defined by the Casto Divo as "sex tourism paradises", but also in that of the VIPs: "I remember those places I've been, like that day at Lapo's house" cites a part of the lyrics, wanting to highlight themes that afflict our country, a lover of good image, art, culture, but also affected by desires more inherent in the soul of every person, resulting in a sea of drugs and depravation that the media continually narrate.

The next and still direct two tracks "Gocce di piacere nel mio sfintere" and "Il tempo degli abusi" continue to bring out perversions, taboos, pleasures, horrors, discomforts, frustrations, accompanied with his refined and distinguished "talent" that distinguishes him, attempting to even elicit a smile during listening and perhaps letting go of the false moralism that haunts us.

Obviously, the most curated part of the entire EP is precisely that concerning the themes; the sound is good: the arrangements are decent, the rhythms fascinating, the sounds veiled by a subtle electronic base enchant and amuse; it cannot be said that the vocality of the eclectic artist is always on point: at times it sounds a bit off-key, a bit faltering, other times it excites and is pleasant to listen to.

Overall, the final result is good, easy to listen to; it's simply a way to try to satirize and introduce a new kind of language free from modesty and moralism, without exaggerating and without taking everything too seriously. Given the success he is achieving, the result has been attained. Fad? Perhaps, for the moment "The Casto" hits (in every sense) and the crowd loves him.