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Gesaffelstein

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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.

Gesaffelstein
Gesaffelstein at Amnesia, Ibiza in 2012
Gesaffelstein at Amnesia, Ibiza in 2012
Background information
Birth nameMike Lévy
Born (1985-06-24) 24 June 1985 (age 39)
Lyon, France
Genres
Occupations
  • Music programmer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
  • disc jockey
Years active2008–present
Labels
Websitegesaffelstein.com

Stage name

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Studio albums

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Title Details Chart positions
FRA
[26] 		BEL
(Fl)
[27] 		BEL
(Wa)
[28] 		SWI
[29] 		US
Dance
[30] 		US
Heat.
[31]
Aleph 30 77 66 95 16 50
Hyperion
  • Released: 8 March 2019
  • Label: Columbia
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 92 — — — 10 —
Gamma
  • Released: 29 March 2024
  • Label: Columbia
  • Formats: LP, digital download
 — — — — — —

Extended plays

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Title Details
Vengeance Factory
  • Released: 22 February 2008
  • Label: OD
Modern Walk
  • Released: 25 June 2009
  • Label: OD
The Operator[32]
  • Released: 30 November 2009
  • Label: ZONE
Variations[33]
  • Released: 5 November 2010
  • Label: Turbo Recordings
Conspiracy Pt. 1[34]
  • Released: 25 April 2011
  • Label: Turbo Recordings
Conspiracy Pt. 2[35]
  • Released: 18 July 2011
  • Label: Turbo Recordings
Crainte / Errance[36]
(with The Hacker)
  • Released: 9 May 2011
  • Label: ZONE
Bromance #4: Rise of Depravity[37]
  • Released: 9 July 2012
  • Label: Bromance
Novo Sonic System[38]
  • Released: 4 October 2019
  • Label: Columbia

Soundtracks

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Title Details
Maryland (Disorder): Original Motion Picture Soundtrack[39]
  • Released: 11 September 2015
  • Label: Parlophone, Warner Music France

Singles

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As lead artist

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List of singles as lead artist, with selected chart positions and certifications
Title Year Chart positions Certifications Album
FRA
[26] 		AUS
[40] 		BEL
(Fl)
[27] 		CAN
[41] 		DEN
[42] 		GER
[43] 		NLD
[44] 		SWE
[45] 		UK
[46] 		US
[47]
"Pursuit"[48] 2013 96 — —[A] — — — — — — — Aleph
"Hate or Glory"[50] — — — — — — — — — —
"Conquistador"[10]
(with Jean-Michel Jarre) 		2015 — — — — — — — — — — Electronica 1: The Time Machine
"Reset"[51] 2018 — — — — — — — — — — Hyperion
"Lost in the Fire"
(with the Weeknd) 		2019 78 24 43 14 17 49 60 9 9 27
"Blast Off"[57]
(with Pharrell Williams) 		— — — — — — — — — —
"Hard Dreams"
(with Yan Wagner)[58] 		2024 — — — — — — — — — — Gamma
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Title Year Chart positions Certifications Album
FRA
[26] 		AUS
[40] 		CAN
[41] 		DEN
[42] 		GER
[43] 		NLD
[44] 		SWE
[45] 		US
[47]
"In Distress"
(A$AP Rocky featuring Gesaffelstein) 		2014 — — — — — — — — Divergent: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
"I Was Never There"
(The Weeknd featuring Gesaffelstein) 		2018 112 40 12 37 91 67 40 35 My Dear Melancholy
"Hurt You"
(The Weeknd featuring Gesaffelstein) 		103 37 17 32 85 63 33 43

Other charted songs

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List of other charted songs, with selected chart positions
Title Year Chart positions Album
FRA
[26] 		US
Dance
[62]
"Aleph" 2013 200 — Aleph
"So Bad"
(featuring Haim) 		2019 — 50 Hyperion

Other appearances

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Title Year Album
"Control Movement"[63] 2011 Bromance #1
"Calling from the Stars"
(with Miss Kittin) 		2013 Calling from the Stars
"Icia"[64] 2021 Interzone

Songwriting, production and technical credits

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Title Year Artist(s) Album Occupation(s)
"Black Skinhead" 2013 Kanye West Yeezus Additional producer
"Send It Up" Composer, co-producer
"The New International Sound"[65] 2014 GENER8ION Homieland, Vol. 1 Mixer
"Euphoria"[66]
(featuring Remy Banks) 		2016 Boys Noize Mayday Composer, writer
"Fior di Latte" 2017 Phoenix Ti Amo Assistance
"Jesus Lord" 2021 Kanye West Donda Composer, producer
"No Child Left Behind"
"Jesus Lord pt 2"
"OKAY!"[67] 2022 KayCyy TW20 50
"THE SUN"[67]
"LOVE & HATE"[67]
"To All The People"[68] 2023 Jain The Fool Producer
"ROLL THE DICE"[69] KayCyy TW20 52 Composer, producer
"ASHLEY'S HEARTBEAT"[69]
"TIMELESS"[69]
"NO COLD"[69]
"J Christ"[70] 2024 Lil Nas X TBA
"I Might Say Something Stupid" Charli XCX Brat
"B2b"
"What's the Cure?"[71] Yodelice What's the Cure? Composer

Remixes

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Track Year Artist(s) Title
"So Glad" 2009 I Am the Cosmos Gesaffelstein Remix
"Lump" F+S
"Les Enfants" 2010 Cassius
"Body of Eyes" Sei A Gesaffelstein Violation Remix
"Heliochrome" Chateau Marmont Gesaffelstein Remix
"New Disco Beat" David Carretta
"What's the Point" Ali Renault
"All You Need" 2011 Miss Kittin
"ZZafrika" ZZT
"The Day" Moby
"All You Need Is Techno" Arnaud Rebotini
"Speechless"
(featuring Carl Craig & La Scalars) 		Agoria
"Big Bad Wolf" Duck Sauce
"Hilinner" Crackboy
"Blue Jeans" 2012 Lana Del Rey
"Lemonade" Boys Noize & Erol Alkan
"Shockwave" The Hacker
"Cover Your Eyes"
(featuring Wave Machines) 		The Shoes
"Rocket Number 9" Zombie Zombie
"The Black Brad Pitt"
(featuring Danny Brown) 		Evil Nine
"Aftermaths" VCMG
"Helix" 2013 Justice Gesaffelstein Vision Remix
"Jacques in the Box" Laurent Garnier Brodinski & Gesaffelstein Dirty Sprite Remix
"Goodbye" Depeche Mode Gesaffelstein Remix
"Bankrupt!" 2014 Phoenix
"Hate or Glory" Gesaffelstein
"A Palé"[72] 2020 Rosalía

Notes

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  1. ^ "Pursuit" did not enter the Ultratop 50 chart, but peaked at number 83 on the Ultratip chart.[49]

References

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  1. ^ ZONE, Gesaffelstein (24 June 2015). "Happy birthday Gesaffelstein". Facebook. Archived from the original on 11 June 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  2. ^ Makarechi, Kia (5 December 2013). "Gesaffelstein Produces For Kanye, Embarks On Live Tour And Keeps A Few Secrets". Huffington Post. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Main Square Festival 2014 : Gesaffelstein, qui es-tu ?". France 3. 26 May 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  4. ^ a b Géraldine Sarratia. "Gesaffelstein, nouveau prince de la techno française". Les Inrocks..
  5. ^ "Zone : le noir label de The Hacker et Gesaffelstein fête ses 10 ans - Tsugi". Tsugi. 26 March 2019.
  6. ^ "French new wave! Brodinski & Gesaffelstein bring the Bromance to SW4". DJ Mag. July 2012.[permanent dead link‍].
  7. ^ "Musique de la pub Citroën DS4 – Just Mat". reclame.fr..
  8. ^ Caramanica, Jon (5 December 2013). "Gesaffelstein, a.k.a. Mike Levy, at Webster Hall". The New York Times.
  9. ^ "Gesaffelstein's Debut Album 'Aleph' - Out Now!". EDM Sauce. 17 January 2019.
  10. ^ a b "Gesaffelstein & Jean-Michel Jarre Collaborate For 'Conquistador'". Harder Blogger Faster. 20 April 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ Gesaffelstein Returns, Signs to Columbia Pitchfork
  13. ^ "The Weeknd's Got Everyone Excited Teasing New Music 'Lost In The Fire'". Capital. 7 January 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  14. ^ "Gesaffelstein & Pharrell Williams Go Pop In The Shadows On 'Blast Off': Watch". Billboard. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  15. ^ "Gesaffelstein's 'Hyperion' Is a Moody Mix Of Pop, Goth & Cinematic Scores: Listen". Billboard. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  16. ^ Larry Fitzmaurice (12 March 2019). "Gesaffelstein – Hyperion". Pitchfork. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  17. ^ "Gesaffelstein surprises fans with new EP, 'NOVO SONIC SYSTEM'". Dancing Astronaut. 3 October 2019.
  18. ^ Redaktion, FAZE (6 February 2022). "The Return of Gesaffelstein". FAZEmag (in German). Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  19. ^ "KayCyy Drops New EP 'TW20 50' and Shares Video for "The Sun"". Complex. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  20. ^ "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.
  21. ^ "KayCyy, Gaseffelstein ascend as one on otherworldly 'TW2052'". Our Generation Music. 26 May 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  22. ^ "Gesaffelstein announces third studio album, Gamma". Mixmag. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  23. ^ Bridget Mills-Powell. "Brodinski: the family guy". Mixmag. Archived from the original on 2 October 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2019..
  24. ^ 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..
  25. ^ Skrillex (31 May 2012). "Who Should Be Big". p. 24. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help).
  26. ^ a b c d "lescharts.com - Discographie Gesaffelstein". lescharts.com.
  27. ^ a b "Discografie Gesaffelstein". Ultratop. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  28. ^ "Discographie Gesaffelstein". Ultratop. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  29. ^ "Discographie Gesaffelstein". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  30. ^ "Gesaffelstein Chart History: Dance/Electronic Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  31. ^ "Gesaffelstein Chart History: Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  32. ^ "Zone 1: The Operator - Single by Gesaffelstein on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  33. ^ "Turbo 093 - Variations par Gesaffelstein sur Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  34. ^ "Turbo 099 - Conspiracy Pt.1 - Single par Gesaffelstein sur Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  35. ^ "Conspiracy, Pt. 2 - Single by Gesaffelstein on Apple Music". Apple Music. 18 July 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  36. ^ "Zone 4: Crainte / Errance - Single by Gesaffelstein & The Hacker on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  37. ^ "Bromance #4: Rise of Depravity - Single by Gesaffelstein on Apple Music". Apple Music. 9 July 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  38. ^ "Novo Sonic System - EP by Gesaffelstein on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  39. ^ "Maryland (Disorder) [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] - Album by Gesaffelstein on Apple Music". iTunes Store. 11 September 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  40. ^ a b "Discography Gesaffelstein". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  41. ^ a b "Gesaffelstein Chart History: Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  42. ^ a b "Discography Gesaffelstein". danishcharts.dk. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  43. ^ a b "Diskografie Gesaffelstein". offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  44. ^ a b "Discografie Gesaffelstein". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  45. ^ a b "Discography Gesaffelstein". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  46. ^ "Gesaffelstein ft Weeknd | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  47. ^ a b "Gesaffelstein Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  48. ^ "Pursuit - Single by Gesaffelstein on Apple Music". iTunes Store. 16 June 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  49. ^ "Gesaffelstein – Pursuit". Ultratop. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  50. ^ "Hate or Glory (Radio Edit) - Single par Gesaffelstein sur Apple Music". iTunes Store. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
  51. ^ "Reset - Single by Gesaffelstein on Apple Music". iTunes Store. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  52. ^ "Les certifications". SNEP (in French). Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  53. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2019 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  54. ^ 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.
  55. ^ "Gold/Platinum - Gesaffelstein". Music Canada. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  56. ^ a b c "Gold/Platinum: Gesaffelstein - RIAA". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  57. ^ "Blast Off - Single by Gesaffelstein & Pharrell Williams on Apple Music". iTunes Store. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  58. ^ "Gesaffelstein, Yan Wagner Are Desperate to Grasp Love in 'Hard Dreams'". Uproxx. 2 March 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  59. ^ "Les certifications". SNEP (in French). Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  60. ^ a b "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  61. ^ a b "Gold/Platinum". Music Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  62. ^ "Gesaffelstein Chart History: Dance/Electronic Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  63. ^ "Bromance #1 - Single - Single by Gesaffelstein & Brodinski on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  64. ^ "Interzone by Various Artists on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  65. ^ "Album Bromance Presents Homieland vol.1, Various Artists - Qobuz: download and streaming in high quality". Qobuz. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  66. ^ "Album Mayday, Boys Noize - Qobuz: download and streaming in high quality". Qobuz. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  67. ^ 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.
  68. ^ 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.
  69. ^ a b c d "KayCyy Links Up With Gesaffelstein For "TW2052" Project". www.hotnewhiphop.com. 26 May 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  70. ^ 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.
  71. ^ "Yodelice (Nouvel album) - What's The Cure? : chansons et paroles". Deezer. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  72. ^ "A Palé (Gesaffelstein Remix) - Single by Gesaffelstein & ROSALÍA on Apple Music". iTunes Store. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
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