Gesaffelstein

Mike Lévy (French pronunciation: ​[majk levi]; born 13 June 1987),[1][2][3] known professionally as Gesaffelstein (German pronunciation: [ɡəˈzafl̩ʃtaɪ̯n]), is a French musician, DJ, songwriter and record producer from Lyon. He has worked alongside artists as varied as The Weeknd, Miss Kittin, Daft Punk, A$AP Rocky, Phoenix, Kanye West, Jean-Michel Jarre and Pharrell Williams.

Gesaffelstein
Gesaffelstein at The Anthem in 2019
Background information
Birth nameMike Lévy
Born (1987-06-13) 13 June 1987
Lyon, France
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • DJ
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Instruments
Years active2008–present
Labels
Associated acts
Websitegesaffelstein.com

Name

Gesaffelstein is a portmanteau of Gesamtkunstwerk and Albert Einstein.[4]

Career

Mike Lévy was born in Lyon, France, in June 1987. He started producing music at the age of sixteen when he first played an analog synthesizer.[5] He released his first EP in 2008 through the label OD Records.

In July 2012, Gesaffelstein made the cover of DJ Mag with Brodinski [6]. The same year, his track "Viol" is used by Citroën and Givenchy advertisings [7].

He co-produced two tracks on Yeezus, the sixth album of American rapper Kanye West, including the lead single "Black Skinhead" and "Send It Up", both tracks produced with Kanye West, Daft Punk, Brodinski and Mike Dean.[8] On October 28, 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 and also produced the soundtrack for the 2015 film Maryland.[10] 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] His second studio album was then released on 8 March 2019.[15] On 3 October 2019, Gesaffelstein announced his surprise EP Novo Sonic System, consisting of 6 tracks, which was released the following day.[16]

Musical style

Mixmag describes Gesaffelstein's style as being a "dark and threatening techno, though enchanting";[17] 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" .[5] Megan Buerger from the Washington Post describes his style has 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".[18]

Rolling Stone magazine sees his music as being "a little more aggressive and punk-rock than normal".[19]

Discography

Studio albums
Title Details Chart positions
FRA
[20]		 BEL
(Fl)
[21]		 BEL
(Wa)
[22]		 SWI
[23]		 US
Dance
[24]		 US
Heat.
[25]
Aleph 30 77 66 95 16 50
Hyperion
  • Released: 8 March 2019
  • Label: Columbia
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 92
[26]		 — — — 10 —

Extended plays
Title Details
Vengeance Factory
  • Released: 22 February 2008
  • Label: OD
Modern Walk
  • Released: 25 June 2009
  • Label: OD
The Operator[27]
  • Released: 30 November 2009
  • Label: ZONE
Variations[28]
  • Released: 5 November 2010
  • Label: Turbo Recordings
Conspiracy Pt. 1[29]
  • Released: 25 April 2011
  • Label: Turbo Recordings
Conspiracy Pt. 2[30]
  • Released: 18 July 2011
  • Label: Turbo Recordings
Crainte / Errance[31]
(with The Hacker)
  • Released: 9 May 2011
  • Label: ZONE
Bromance #1[32]
(with Brodinski)
  • Released: 21 November 2011
  • Label: Bromance
Bromance #4: Rise of Depravity[33]
  • Released: 9 July 2012
  • Label: Bromance
Novo Sonic System[34]
  • Released: 4 October 2019
  • Label: Columbia

Soundtracks
Title Details
Maryland (Disorder): Original Motion Picture Soundtrack[35]
  • Released: 11 September 2015
  • Label: Parlophone, Warner Music France

Singles

As lead artist
Title Year Chart positions Certifications Album
FRA
[20]		 AUS
[36]		 BEL
(Fl)
[21]		 CAN
[37]		 DEN
[38]		 GER
[39]		 NLD
[40]		 SWE
[41]		 UK
[42]		 US
[43]
"Pursuit"[44] 2013 96—[upper-alpha 1]——————— Aleph
"Hate or Glory"[46] ——————————
"Conquistador"[10]
(with Jean-Michel Jarre)		 2015 —————————— Electronica 1: The Time Machine
"Reset"[47] 2018 —————————— Hyperion
"Lost in the Fire"
(with The Weeknd)		 2019 782443141749609927
"Blast Off"[52]
(with Pharrell Williams)		 ——————————

As featured artist

Title Year Chart positions Album
FRA
[20]		 AUS
[36]		 CAN
[37]		 DEN
[38]		 GER
[39]		 NLD
[40]		 SWE
[41]		 US
[43]
"In Distress"
(A$AP Rocky featuring Gesaffelstein)		 2014 ———————— Divergent: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
"Hurt You"
(The Weeknd featuring Gesaffelstein)		 2018 10337173285633343 My Dear Melancholy
"I Was Never There"
(The Weeknd featuring Gesaffelstein)		 11240123791674035

Other charted songs
Title Year Chart positions Album
US
Dance
[53]		 FRA
[20]
"Aleph" 2013 - 200 Aleph
"So Bad"
(featuring Haim)		 2019 50 - Hyperion

Production and songwriting credits
Year Title Artist(s) Album
2013 "Calling from the Stars" Miss Kittin Calling from the Stars
"Black Skinhead" Kanye West Yeezus
"Send It Up"
2016 "Euphoria"
(featuring Remy Banks)		 Boys Noize Mayday
2017 "Fior di Latte" Phoenix Ti Amo

Remixes
Year Track Artist(s) Title
2009 "So Glad" I Am the Cosmos Gesaffelstein Remix
"Lump" F+S
2010 "Les Enfants" Cassius
"Body of Eyes" Sei A Gesaffelstein Violation Remix
"One Hundred Realities" Chateau Marmont Gesaffelstein Remix
"New Disco Beat" David Carretta
"What's the Point" Ali Renault
2011 "All You Need" 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
2012 "Blue Jeans" Lana Del Rey
"Lemonade" Boys Noize & Erol Alkan
"Shockwave" The Hacker
"Rocket Number 9" Zombie Zombie
"The Black Brad Pitt"
(featuring Danny Brown)		 Evil Nine
"Aftermaths" VCMG
2013 "Helix" Justice Gesaffelstein Vision Remix
"Jacques in the Box" Laurent Garnier Brodinski & Gesaffelstein Dirty Sprite Remix
"Goodbye" Depeche Mode Gesaffelstein Remix
2014 "Bankrupt!" Phoenix
"Hate or Glory" Gesaffelstein
2020 "A Palé"[54] Rosalía

Notes
  1. "Pursuit" did not enter the Ultratop 50 chart, but peaked at number 83 on the Ultratip chart.[45]

References
  1. "Birthdays: June 13". Houston Chronicle. 13 June 2018. DJ/producer Gesaffelstein is 31
  2. "Celebrity birthdays for June 13, 2017". The Mercury News. 13 June 2017. DJ/producer Gesaffelstein is 30
  3. Battan, Carrie (March 25, 2019). "Gesaffelstein's Dance Music Punctures the Coachella Bubble". Mike Lévy, a thirty-one-year-old Frenchman who records as Gesaffelstein
  4. Makarechi, Kia (5 December 2013). "Gesaffelstein Produces For Kanye, Embarks On Live Tour And Keeps A Few Secrets". Huffington Post. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  5. Géraldine Sarratia. "Gesaffelstein, nouveau prince de la techno française". Les Inrocks..
  6. "French new wave! Brodinski & Gesaffelstein bring the Bromance to SW4". DJ Mag. July 2012..
  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. "Gesaffelstein & Jean-Michel Jarre Collaborate For 'Conquistador'". Harder Blogger Faster. 20 April 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  11. Meadow, Matthew (March 29, 2018). "BREAKING: The Weeknd Calls On Skrillex, Daft Punk, Gesaffelstein & More For New EP [MUST LISTEN]". Your EDM. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  12. Gesaffelstein Returns, Signs to Columbia Pitchfork
  13. "The Weeknd's Got Everyone Excited Teasing New Music 'Lost In The Fire'". Capital. 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. "Gesaffelstein surprises fans with new EP, 'NOVO SONIC SYSTEM'". Dancing Astronaut. October 3, 2019.
  17. Bridget Mills-Powell. "Brodinski: the family guy". Mixmag. Archived from the original on 2012-10-02. Retrieved 2019-01-09..
  18. Buerger, Megan (31 August 2012). "Gesaffelstein album review: 'Rise of Depravity'". pp. WW.6..
  19. Skrillex (31 May 2012). "Who Should Be Big". p. 24. Missing or empty |url= (help).
  20. "lescharts.com - Discographie Gesaffelstein". lescharts.com.
  21. "Discografie Gesaffelstein". Ultratop. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  22. "Discographie Gesaffelstein". Ultratop. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  23. "Discographie Gesaffelstein". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  24. "Gesaffelstein Chart History: Dance/Electronic Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  25. "Gesaffelstein Chart History: Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  26. "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Fusionnes – SNEP (Week 11, 2019)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  27. "Zone 1: The Operator - Single by Gesaffelstein on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 2020-04-12.
  28. "Turbo 093 - Variations par Gesaffelstein sur Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 2020-04-12.
  29. "Turbo 099 - Conspiracy Pt.1 - Single par Gesaffelstein sur Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 2020-04-12.
  30. "Conspiracy, Pt. 2 - Single by Gesaffelstein on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
  31. "Zone 4: Crainte / Errance - Single by Gesaffelstein & The Hacker on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 2020-04-12.
  32. "Bromance #1 - Single - Single by Gesaffelstein & Brodinski on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 2020-04-12.
  33. "Bromance #4: Rise of Depravity - Single by Gesaffelstein on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
  34. "Novo Sonic System - EP by Gesaffelstein on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  35. "Maryland (Disorder) [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] - Album by Gesaffelstein on Apple Music". iTunes Store. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
  36. "Discography Gesaffelstein". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  37. "Gesaffelstein Chart History: Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  38. "Discography Gesaffelstein". danishcharts.dk. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  39. "Diskografie Gesaffelstein". offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  40. "Discografie Gesaffelstein". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  41. "Discography Gesaffelstein". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  42. "Gesaffelstein ft Weeknd | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  43. "Gesaffelstein Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  44. "Pursuit - Single by Gesaffelstein on Apple Music". iTunes Store. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
  45. "Gesaffelstein – Pursuit". Ultratop. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  46. "Hate or Glory (Radio Edit) - Single par Gesaffelstein sur Apple Music". iTunes Store. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
  47. "Reset - Single by Gesaffelstein on Apple Music". iTunes Store. Retrieved 2019-02-18.
  48. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2019 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  49. "BRIT Certified - bpi" (To access, enter the search parameter "Gesaffelstein"). British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  50. "Gold/Platinum - Gesaffelstein". Music Canada. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  51. "Gold/Platinum: Gesaffelstein - RIAA". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  52. "Blast Off - Single by Gesaffelstein & Pharrell Williams on Apple Music". iTunes Store. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
  53. "Gesaffelstein Chart History: Dance/Electronic Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  54. "A Palé (Gesaffelstein Remix) - Single by Gesaffelstein & ROSALÍA on Apple Music". iTunes Store. Retrieved 2020-01-06.
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