In 1987 the Milanese ensemble Casino Royale assembled as an Italian funk-rock group. Paying homage to Ian Fleming’s favorite James Bond novel, the musicians selected their name after considering Goldfinger and settling on Casino Royale instead. Influenced by the Clash and the Specials, the band entered the studio for its first release, Soul of Ska, in 1988 and issued Jungle Jubilee two years later. Early explorations of soul and reggae won over Italian audiences with English lyrics and stylistic choices that stood out sharply in the local scene. In the years that followed, the group shifted course, writing in Italian and folding in a broader range of sounds. Its major-label debut, Dainamaita, incorporated hip-hop, dub, and funk, establishing a career milestone. Work on Sempre Più Vicini began in 1994, yielding the first album to attract consistent radio attention. A move to London the next year led to CRX, released in 1997, which earned the band an opening slot for U2 on Italian dates and raised its profile considerably. The album surpassed 500,000 copies sold. After pursuing various collaborations and founding the Royality label, Casino Royale waited nine years before returning with Reale in 2006, an album that met an enthusiastic response from fans who had been waiting.
