Gesaffelstein is the moniker of French electronic musician, DJ and producer Mike Lévy. He is based in Paris, France. His sound can be described as a mix of industrial techno, ebm, and house music. He has done remixes for artists such as ZZT, Cassius, Lana Del Rey and Sei A, as well as releasing his own records.
Lévy was born on June 24, 1985 in Lyon, France, and started practising with a synthesizer in his teens after discovering synthpop music. “Gesaffelstein” is a portmanteau of the term Gesamtkunstwerk (“total work of art”) and (Albert) Einstein. His first EP, Vengeance Factory, was released in 2008 on OD Records, to critical acclaim. In 2010, he was signed to Turbo Records, which was followed by the release of Variations, his second extended play. Two further releases, Conspiracy Pt.1 and Conspiracy Pt.2, the latter featuring “Viol”, a track which caught Kanye West’s attention upon release, thus leading to Gesaffelstein producing two tracks on West’s Yeezus album (“Black Skinhead” and “Send It Up”) in 2013.
Gesaffelstein’s debut full-length album Aleph was released in October of the same year. It received critical acclaim and videos for “Pursuit” and “Hate or Glory” were released.
The soundtrack to the film Maryland: Disorder was produced by Lévy and released in 2015. A collaboration with renowned French composer Jean Michel Jarre, titled “Conquistador” was released in the same year.