Aleph

Released in 2013, Aleph is the debut studio album by Mike Lévy, known as Gesaffelstein. Arriving shortly after his high-profile production work on Kanye West's Yeezus, the album solidified Lévy's position as the architect of a new, fashion-adjacent industrial techno sound. Recorded over two years, the project is a meticulous distillation of EBM, techno, and darkwave influences, characterized by its 'brutalist' aesthetic. Critics, including those at Pitchfork and NME, noted its thematic coherence and its rejection of the 'smoothed-out' disco trends of the era. The album is notable for its use of silence and sudden tempo shifts, particularly on tracks like 'Hellifornia' which flirts with trap influences. Its cultural footprint is significant, with 'Hate or Glory' and 'Pursuit' becoming staples of high-fashion runways and cinematic action sequences, most notably in John Wick: Chapter 4. Aleph remains a landmark of 2010s electronic music for its ability to make harsh, industrial sounds feel sophisticated and cinematic.