The Hologram People : Isola Dei Morti Viventi

I first came across The Hologram People via their excellent long player Village of the Snake God. That Library of the Occult release was nothing short of brilliant; LSD-laced music freakouts that combined 70s funk, acid folk, and just the right amount of psychedelia to get you wondering what reality you’re currently existing in. There were cinematic touches, too. The kinds that made you think of The Wicker Man-meets-Lucifer Rising-meets-Ken Russell on Mescaline. It was a 16mm musical journey of the highest and grainiest order.

The Hologram People consists of Jonathan Parkes and Dom Keen. These two UK-based musicians have locked in to a musical world that has its roots in everything from West Coast psych, Giallo, Lalo Schifrin scores, and the counterculture of the late 60s/early 70s. They make music to both groove to and lose your mind to. Existential trips for the serious musical space cadets.

On the band’s latest LP, the incredibly groovy Isola Dei Morti Viventi, Parkes and Keen take The Hologram People into Frizzi/Rizatti/Cipriani territory as they give us a score to a “lost” Italio horror flick called Isola Dei Morti Viventi. You don’t need the backstory in order to get lost in this excellent funked-up LP, but these cats did such an amazing job giving one hell of a tale about the film’s journey from being shelved in the 70s to finally finding the light of day in 2020, that you’d be a fool not to lose yourself in its legend.

Jon Parkes and Dom Keen have gone all out here. As the tale goes, Isola Dei Morti Viventi was originally supposed to come out in 1977, directed by Italian director Guiseppi Giovanni. But due to a higher budgeted movie also directed by Giovanni, the film company(Continental Pictures) shelved the little horror film in order to give the limelight to the bigger budgeted Moonlight Massacre. After decades of sitting on a shelf the film was discovered and finally given its moment in the limelight it so sorely deserved.

That’s the story behind this imagined score, and as far as imagined soundtracks go it’s a doozy. Details matter, and The Hologram People have given us plenty to chew on. Fortunately, they haven’t forgotten that what really matters is the score itself. The Hologram People’s Isola Dei Morti Viventi does not disappoint. As much as I love the cinematic works of Bava, Argento, and Fulci, it’s the scores of Frizzi, Rizatti, and Cipriani that left an indelible mark on my psyche. It’s the score that remains in my brain long after the credits roll, and The Hologram People have made a score for the ages.

So you’re not interested in a story? Well to each his own, but lucky for you folks you don’t need to know the story to get some serious vibes from The Hologram People. Isola Dei Morti Viventi is an all-mood machine. Crisp production, a seriously funky rhythm section, and enough vibe-inducing keys and ethereal sounds that will keep you locked into The Hologram People’s sonic world. From the Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad-esque soulful groove of “Night Sweats Part 1 & 2” to the wonky synth love of “Love In The Jungle” to the creepy and rhythm-heavy “March Of The Zombies” Parkes and Keen never relent. They keep things moving and engaging throughout. You can’t help but get pulled into their musical and cinematic world.

One of the absolute highlights is “Isola Dei Morti Viventi(Main Theme)”. It’s the kind of piece of music that tells you everything you need to know about this musical trip. Melancholy and baroque, it’s a musical time machine to another place. Beautifully morose and captivating on every level. Alone, worth the price of admission.

Over the course of two vinyl sides, The Hologram People build a cinematic world that I would have gladly visited had I seen this video box on my local video store’s wall in the 80s. Isola Dei Morti Viventi is an absolute stunner on every level. The imagined soundtrack world has had it’s share of glorious triumphs and lazy rehashes. The Hologram People have given it new life with Isola Dei Morti Viventi. Grazie, Hologram People. Grazie.

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Isola Dei Morti Viventi is out on 2/10 via Dreamlord Recordings.