Gesaffelstein is the electronic music project of Mike Lévy, a DJ and producer from Lyon, France, born in 1985. He works in styles including EBM, industrial techno, midtempo bass, post-industrial, tech house, techno, electro and new wave. The name is a coined word that refers to both the idea of Gesamtkunstwerk and Albert Einstein.

Background

Lévy begins listening to electronic dance music as a teenager. He starts experimenting with synthesizers and begins producing after moving to Paris in 2003. His early work is influenced by EBM acts such as Nitzer Ebb and Front 242, alongside techno and house producers including Green Velvet and Laurent Garnier.

Early releases

He introduces Gesaffelstein in 2008 with Vengeance Factory, an EP on OD Records. Modern Walk follows on Hacker's GoodLife label, and The Operator is released in 2009 on Zone, another label run by The Hacker. In 2010 he signs to Tiga's Turbo label and issues Variations. The following year he releases Conspiracy, Pt. I and Conspiracy, Pt. II, along with a split 12-inch with Brodinski, Bromance #1, and a collaboration with The Hacker, Zone 4. Conspiracy Remixes and Bromance #4: Rise of Depravity follow in 2012.

Recognition and collaborations

By this period, he becomes a regular choice for DJs and an in-demand remixer, working on tracks for Cassius, Moby, Miss Kittin, Duck Sauce and Lana Del Rey. His wider breakthrough comes in 2013, when he co-produces two tracks on Kanye West's Yeezus alongside Daft Punk, Brodinski and Mike Dean. Shortly afterwards, his debut album Aleph is released on Parlophone and receives critical praise. The singles "Pursuit" and "Hate or Glory" are accompanied by violent, unsettling videos, and his music also appears in television programmes and video games. He also releases I Love Techno 2013, his first mix CD, on Lektroluv.

Later work

In 2015, Lévy collaborates with Jean Michel Jarre on "Conquistador" and composes music for the thriller Maryland, also known as Disorder, directed by Alice Winocour. The score later receives a limited vinyl issue. After a longer break, he returns with the single "Reset" in 2018. This is included on Hyperion, released in 2019, which also features "Lost in the Fire" with The Weeknd.