French record producer and DJ
Gesaffelstein
Birth name Mike Lévy Born (1985-06-24 ) 24 June 1985 (age 39) Lyon , FranceGenres Occupations
Music programmer
songwriter
record producer
disc jockey
Years active 2008–present Labels Website gesaffelstein .com
Musical artist
Mike Lévy (French: [majk levi] ; born 24 June 1985),[ 1] known professionally as Gesaffelstein (German: [ɡəˈzafl̩ʃtaɪn] ), is a French music programmer, DJ, songwriter and record producer from Lyon . He has worked alongside artists such as the Weeknd , Daft Punk , Kanye West , A$AP Rocky , Electric Youth , Haim , Miss Kittin , The Hacker , Jean-Michel Jarre , Lil Nas X , Charli XCX , and Pharrell Williams .
Stage name
Gesaffelstein is a portmanteau of Gesamtkunstwerk ("total artwork" in German, also the title of an album by the American electro group Dopplereffekt ) and Albert Einstein .[ 2] [ 3]
Career
Mike Lévy was born in Lyon , France , into a Jewish family, in June 1985. He started producing music at the age of sixteen when he first played an analog synthesizer .[ 4] He released his first EP in 2008 through the label OD Records. In 2009, he founded the independent label Zone with The Hacker , Alex Reynaud and David Rimokh.[ 5]
In July 2012, Gesaffelstein made the cover of DJ Mag with Brodinski .[ 6] The same year, his track "Viol" was used by Citroën and Givenchy advertisements.[ 7] He co-produced two tracks on Yeezus , the sixth album by American rapper Kanye West , including the lead single "Black Skinhead " and "Send It Up ", both tracks produced with West, Daft Punk , Brodinski and Mike Dean .[ 8] On 28 October 2013, Gesaffelstein released his debut album Aleph under Parlophone Records and OWSLA (in North America only), which had been recorded since 2011.[ 9] His remix of "Shockwave" by The Hacker is featured in the 2013 video game Grand Theft Auto V , on the Soulwax FM radio station.
In 2015, Gesaffelstein released the single "Conquistador" in collaboration with Jean-Michel Jarre , which is present on the album Electronica 1: The Time Machine .[ 10] He also produced the soundtrack for the French-Belgian 2015 film Maryland , directed by Alice Winocour . In early 2018, he produced the tracks "I Was Never There" and "Hurt You" from the Weeknd 's My Dear Melancholy, EP.[ 11]
Gesaffelstein signed to Columbia Records in November 2018, with whom he released the lead single "Reset" from his second studio album Hyperion in the same month.[ 12] In January 2019, he released a collaboration with the Weeknd titled "Lost in the Fire " as the second single from Hyperion ,[ 13] and later in March 2019 released another collaboration with Pharrell Williams titled "Blast Off".[ 14] Hyperion was released on 8 March 2019, to mixed reviews.[ 15] [ 16] On 3 October 2019, Gesaffelstein announced his surprise EP Novo Sonic System , consisting of 6 tracks, which was released the following day.[ 17]
For Apple's October 2021 event , his track "Orck" was used as the pre-intro and outro theme music.
Gesaffelstein announced a collaboration with fellow Kanye West collaborator KayCyy . TW20 50 , an EP containing 3 collaborative songs between the two of them, released on 11 March 2022.[ 18] [ 19]
On 6 March 2023, Skrillex confirmed that Lévy's third album had been finished.[ 20]
KayCyy and Lévy's second collaborative EP, TW2052 , was released on 26 May 2023.[ 21]
On 9 February 2024, Lévy's third album, Gamma , was announced, with a release date of 29 March 2024 revealed six days later.[ 22]
Musical style
Mixmag describes Gesaffelstein's style as being a "dark and threatening techno, though enchanting";[ 23] The Inrocks see it as "black, ultra-violent music, [which] revives the techno fundamentals, the intransigence of Underground Resistance, the mental and obsessive structures of Drexciya, the contemporary power and more".[ 4] Megan Buerger from the Washington Post describes his style as a mixture of dark and underground music, and notes that a specialty of the artist is his use of silences to create a "tension" before a "raucous explosion of bass and percussion".[ 24]
Rolling Stone magazine sees his music as being "a little more aggressive and punk-rock than normal".[ 25]
Influences
Gesaffelstein cites Dopplereffekt , Kraftwerk , and new wave formations from the 80s such as D.A.F. or Nitzer Ebb all as references. He has also said Joy Division and The Hacker influenced his work.[ 3]
Discography
Studio albums
Extended plays
Soundtracks
Singles
As lead artist
As featured artist
Other charted songs
Other appearances
Songwriting, production and technical credits
Remixes
Notes
^ "Pursuit" did not enter the Ultratop 50 chart, but peaked at number 83 on the Ultratip chart.[ 49]
References
^ ZONE, Gesaffelstein (24 June 2015). "Happy birthday Gesaffelstein" . Facebook . Archived from the original on 11 June 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022 .
^ Makarechi, Kia (5 December 2013). "Gesaffelstein Produces For Kanye, Embarks On Live Tour And Keeps A Few Secrets" . Huffington Post . Retrieved 12 December 2013 .
^ a b "Main Square Festival 2014 : Gesaffelstein, qui es-tu ?" . France 3 . 26 May 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2020 .
^ a b Géraldine Sarratia. "Gesaffelstein, nouveau prince de la techno française" . Les Inrocks . .
^ "Zone : le noir label de The Hacker et Gesaffelstein fête ses 10 ans - Tsugi" . Tsugi . 26 March 2019.
^ "French new wave! Brodinski & Gesaffelstein bring the Bromance to SW4" . DJ Mag . July 2012.[permanent dead link ] .
^ "Musique de la pub Citroën DS4 – Just Mat" . reclame.fr . .
^ Caramanica, Jon (5 December 2013). "Gesaffelstein, a.k.a. Mike Levy, at Webster Hall" . The New York Times .
^ "Gesaffelstein's Debut Album 'Aleph' - Out Now!" . EDM Sauce . 17 January 2019.
^ a b "Gesaffelstein & Jean-Michel Jarre Collaborate For 'Conquistador' " . Harder Blogger Faster. 20 April 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2015 .
^ Meadow, Matthew (29 March 2018). "BREAKING: The Weeknd Calls On Skrillex, Daft Punk, Gesaffelstein & More For New EP [MUST LISTEN]" . Your EDM. Retrieved 17 January 2019 .
^ Gesaffelstein Returns, Signs to Columbia Pitchfork
^ "The Weeknd's Got Everyone Excited Teasing New Music 'Lost In The Fire' " . Capital . 7 January 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2019 .
^ "Gesaffelstein & Pharrell Williams Go Pop In The Shadows On 'Blast Off': Watch" . Billboard . Retrieved 9 March 2019 .
^ "Gesaffelstein's 'Hyperion' Is a Moody Mix Of Pop, Goth & Cinematic Scores: Listen" . Billboard . Retrieved 9 March 2019 .
^ Larry Fitzmaurice (12 March 2019). "Gesaffelstein – Hyperion" . Pitchfork . Retrieved 12 March 2019 .
^ "Gesaffelstein surprises fans with new EP, 'NOVO SONIC SYSTEM' " . Dancing Astronaut . 3 October 2019.
^ Redaktion, FAZE (6 February 2022). "The Return of Gesaffelstein" . FAZEmag (in German). Retrieved 8 February 2022 .
^ "KayCyy Drops New EP 'TW20 50' and Shares Video for "The Sun" " . Complex . Retrieved 17 March 2022 .
^ "New Gesaffelstein Album Confirmed By... Skrillex? - EDM.com - The Latest Electronic Dance Music News, Reviews & Artists" . EDM.com - The Latest Electronic Dance Music News, Reviews & Artists . Retrieved 9 October 2023 .
^ "KayCyy, Gaseffelstein ascend as one on otherworldly 'TW2052' " . Our Generation Music . 26 May 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023 .
^ "Gesaffelstein announces third studio album, Gamma " . Mixmag . Retrieved 5 March 2024 .
^ Bridget Mills-Powell. "Brodinski: the family guy" . Mixmag . Archived from the original on 2 October 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2019 . .
^ Buerger, Megan (31 August 2012). "Gesaffelstein album review: 'Rise of Depravity' " . The Washington Post . pp. WW.6. Archived from the original on 30 June 2013. .
^ Skrillex (31 May 2012). "Who Should Be Big". p. 24. .
^ a b c d "lescharts.com - Discographie Gesaffelstein" . lescharts.com .
^ a b "Discografie Gesaffelstein" . Ultratop . Retrieved 19 March 2019 .
^ "Discographie Gesaffelstein" . Ultratop. Retrieved 19 March 2019 .
^ "Discographie Gesaffelstein" . hitparade.ch . Retrieved 19 March 2019 .
^ "Gesaffelstein Chart History: Dance/Electronic Albums" . Billboard . Retrieved 19 March 2019 .
^ "Gesaffelstein Chart History: Heatseekers Albums" . Billboard . Retrieved 19 March 2019 .
^ "Zone 1: The Operator - Single by Gesaffelstein on Apple Music" . Apple Music . Retrieved 12 April 2020 .
^ "Turbo 093 - Variations par Gesaffelstein sur Apple Music" . Apple Music . Retrieved 12 April 2020 .
^ "Turbo 099 - Conspiracy Pt.1 - Single par Gesaffelstein sur Apple Music" . Apple Music . Retrieved 12 April 2020 .
^ "Conspiracy, Pt. 2 - Single by Gesaffelstein on Apple Music" . Apple Music . 18 July 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2019 .
^ "Zone 4: Crainte / Errance - Single by Gesaffelstein & The Hacker on Apple Music" . Apple Music . Retrieved 12 April 2020 .
^ "Bromance #4: Rise of Depravity - Single by Gesaffelstein on Apple Music" . Apple Music . 9 July 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2019 .
^ "Novo Sonic System - EP by Gesaffelstein on Apple Music" . Apple Music . Retrieved 4 December 2019 .
^ "Maryland (Disorder) [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] - Album by Gesaffelstein on Apple Music" . iTunes Store . 11 September 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2019 .
^ a b "Discography Gesaffelstein" . australian-charts.com . Retrieved 19 March 2019 .
^ a b "Gesaffelstein Chart History: Canadian Hot 100" . Billboard . Retrieved 19 March 2019 .
^ a b "Discography Gesaffelstein" . danishcharts.dk . Retrieved 19 March 2019 .
^ a b "Diskografie Gesaffelstein" . offiziellecharts.de . Retrieved 19 March 2019 .
^ a b "Discografie Gesaffelstein" . dutchcharts.nl . Retrieved 19 March 2019 .
^ a b "Discography Gesaffelstein" . swedishcharts.com . Retrieved 19 March 2019 .
^ "Gesaffelstein ft Weeknd | full Official Chart history" . Official Charts Company . Retrieved 19 March 2019 .
^ a b "Gesaffelstein Chart History: Hot 100" . Billboard . Retrieved 19 March 2019 .
^ "Pursuit - Single by Gesaffelstein on Apple Music" . iTunes Store . 16 June 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2019 .
^ "Gesaffelstein – Pursuit" . Ultratop . Retrieved 14 June 2020 .
^ "Hate or Glory (Radio Edit) - Single par Gesaffelstein sur Apple Music" . iTunes Store . Retrieved 4 June 2019 .
^ "Reset - Single by Gesaffelstein on Apple Music" . iTunes Store . Retrieved 18 February 2019 .
^ "Les certifications" . SNEP (in French). Retrieved 2 October 2024 .
^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2019 Singles" . Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 9 November 2019 .
^ a b c "British certifications – Gesaffelstein" . British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 7 October 2023 . Type Gesaffelstein in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
^ "Gold/Platinum - Gesaffelstein" . Music Canada . Retrieved 13 June 2019 .
^ a b c "Gold/Platinum: Gesaffelstein - RIAA" . Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved 13 June 2019 .
^ "Blast Off - Single by Gesaffelstein & Pharrell Williams on Apple Music" . iTunes Store . Retrieved 1 March 2019 .
^ "Gesaffelstein, Yan Wagner Are Desperate to Grasp Love in 'Hard Dreams' " . Uproxx . 2 March 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024 .
^ "Les certifications" . SNEP (in French). Retrieved 2 October 2024 .
^ a b "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF) . Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 28 June 2024 .
^ a b "Gold/Platinum" . Music Canada . Retrieved 22 November 2021 .
^ "Gesaffelstein Chart History: Dance/Electronic Songs" . Billboard . Retrieved 19 March 2019 .
^ "Bromance #1 - Single - Single by Gesaffelstein & Brodinski on Apple Music" . Apple Music . Retrieved 12 April 2020 .
^ "Interzone by Various Artists on Apple Music" . Apple Music . Retrieved 4 June 2021 .
^ "Album Bromance Presents Homieland vol.1, Various Artists - Qobuz: download and streaming in high quality" . Qobuz . Retrieved 2 August 2020 .
^ "Album Mayday, Boys Noize - Qobuz: download and streaming in high quality" . Qobuz . Retrieved 1 October 2020 .
^ a b c Callas, Brad (12 March 2022). "KayCyy drops new EP TW20 50 and shares video for 'The Sun' " . Complex . Retrieved 4 May 2022 .
^ Cafe, The Sound (29 April 2023). "French International Pop Sensation Jain Releases Highly Anticipated New Album 'The Fool' " . The Sound Cafe . Retrieved 3 May 2023 .
^ a b c d "KayCyy Links Up With Gesaffelstein For "TW2052" Project" . www.hotnewhiphop.com . 26 May 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023 .
^ Heffler, Jason (10 January 2024). "Gesaffelstein Confirmed as Producer of Lil Nas X's New Single, "J Christ" " . EDM.com - The Latest Electronic Dance Music News, Reviews & Artists . Retrieved 11 January 2024 .
^ "Yodelice (Nouvel album) - What's The Cure? : chansons et paroles" . Deezer . Retrieved 12 July 2024 .
^ "A Palé (Gesaffelstein Remix) - Single by Gesaffelstein & ROSALÍA on Apple Music" . iTunes Store . Retrieved 6 January 2020 .
External links
International National Artists
Studio albums Singles Films scored Other songs