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Lunascape were a Belgian trip hop band founded in 1998 by
Kyoko Baertsoen and
Walter Hilhorst. The group was initially formed under the name
Calyx, but changed it to avoid confusion with a London drum and bass artist by the same name.
Baertsoen and Hilhorst originally met at the television and film academy in Brussels in 1993, and began working on small-scale musical projects at that time, but their collaboration was interrupted in 1997 when Baertsoen joined the group
Hooverphonic and toured Europe with them. On her return she resumed working with Hilhorst on the project that would become Lunascape. Their first two albums,
Reflecting Seyelence and
Mindstalking, were released only in Europe, but in 2005, their first North American release,
Reminiscence, from Dancing Ferret Discs's Noir label, combined tracks from both the previous albums, bringing their music to a new audience. Tracks from Reflecting Seyelence were used in the IMAX 3D movie Haunted Castle.
Citing influences ranging from goth pioneers
The Sisters of Mercy and
Bauhaus to psychedelic acts like
Pink Floyd to the ethereal pop of the
Cocteau Twins, Lunascape create lush, moody soundscapes, dominated by Baertsoen's distinctive ethereal vocals. Many listeners first encountered them when
Rhys Fulber's electronic music project
Conjure One recorded a cover of Lunascape's
Tears from the Moon in 2003, with
Sinéad O'Connor on vocals.
Dancing Ferret released Lunascape's last album,
Innerside in April 2008. Later that year, the band decided to part ways, simply saying it was time "to let the music go its own way".
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