Lycia was an American ethereal / shoegaze project formed in 1988 by Mike Van Portfleet , along with members Will Wlech and John Fair. In 1989, Wake was recorded, defining their droning ethereal guitar sound. In 1990, Lycia signed on with Chicago based Projekt records and released Ionia in late 1991 after aborting the original first release, titled Byzantine. They became one of the cornerstones of the Projekt label for over a decade, and one of the most influential bands in the the American ether