Starfish Pool

Starfish Pool is the artist name of Koen Lybaert (Antwerp, Belgium), under which he was active from 1993 to 2003. In 1994, Starfish Pool released the Chill out 'n' confused album, on Nova Zembla/KK Records. The album contained tracks that mixed dark and experimental ambient sounds with industrial rhythms and obscure and disorienting samples.

The release of that debut album was followed by two EP's, only available on vinyl: EP One and EP Two, also on Nova Zembla/KK Records.

In 1995 followed a second album release, Amplified Tones. Starfish Pool had evolved, using less explicit sounds and samples, compared to the debug album, where cars, thunder and bird sounds were still discernable. Amplified Tones contained more trance influenced tracks, yet stayed far from the mainstream tracks of techno/trance; while rhythm became more prominent. Yet the album was still based on characteristics of minimalism, noise and ambient.

But the ambient Starfish Pool produced was far from the esoteric atmospheres. The ambient was confrontational, more experimental, darker and much more rhythmic.

Later releases include Interference '96, Dante's Carnival, Remixed, Rituals for the Dying, Kinetic and Illusions Of Move - The Golden Cycle.

Koen Lybaert is now active under a new moniker: Ontayso, together with Esther Santoyo and Dave Vanderplas.

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