For the first time since 2019, Gesaffelstein has bestowed fans with new original music. Perched high atop his shrouded throne, the French electronic visionary, lesser known as Mike Lévy, doles out a rare single that notably sidesteps his usual sonic signature.
“Icia” explodes right off the bat with menacing synthwork and a reverberating bass for a hypnotic piece of footworking tech house. Heavily pitched and filtered vocal samples create a wiry call-and-response framework, spiraling between connectivity and isolation within the tune’s robotic vocal accents. The single’s title stands as an acronym for the track’s only lyrics—the words surrounded by ominous chord progressions and slinking basslines, warping “Icia” from a frenetic and glowering exploration into a somber and brooding electro odyssey.
A teaser for the track hit Gesaffelstein’s characteristically quiet social media channels in mid-May, though in line with Levy’s usual modus operandi, little additional detail was provided at the time. The tracks finds Gesaffelstein returning to French label Zone, where some of his earliest works are hosted, for a new compilation from the imprint called Interzone. Hear “Icia” below.
Featured image: Julian Bajsel
