Photography by Holger Rogge

MARAL SALMASSI is one striking femme. She exudes talent and beauty, combined with a hint of masculinity, giving her a distinct edge in the music she creates and the way she styles herself. Founder of notable techno label, Konsequent Records in ‘97 and new media label, Art of Perception in ‘99, Maral’s past explorations in music have paved the way for what is her most exciting and diverse label to date, Television Rocks.

Born to Maral Salmassi and partner Fabian Stall, Television Rocks, is a platform for both artists solo projects. Maral has created a sound that she describes as, “funky, playful glamour tech which is more a combination of New York wave disco, old school hip hop and electro and french cut-up hop than Cologne Post-Minimal sounds and styles”.

The momentum for Maral’s sound has been building. Highlighted on notable blogs, Missingtoof, Discodust, iheartcomix, la decadanse and a slew of others, she is giving us a whole lotta reason to be intrigued. Read on as Maral gives us a peek into her collaborations, thoughts on music, inspirations, fashion, Cologne and my absolute favorite place to be, Spain. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for what’s ahead!! Cheers Maral! x

“I’m a DJ, musician and singer currently running the label Television Rocks together with Fabian Stall aka Zero Cash. We started our label in the beginning of 2007 as a result of our lives crossing their paths in many intense ways thinkable. Zero Cash and I live together and have our studios in the same building. We produced a lot together and are currently working on my album. Zero Cash has a long history as a producer for many different bands and projects. He started doing club music as we started with Television Rocks. His style is a blend of techno and electro, more straight and instrumental, but with a rock attitude. My style is more a mash up of all the music I love to dance to, mostly inspired by rocking electro and hip-hop.

I like anything, which has power and attitude: Music like old-school hip-hop and Electro, rock, metal, classic, good pop music, old blues, pompous new US hip-hop productions or traditional music like Magrebian, Gipsy, or Indian music, Also fashion, art, TV and internet are my inspirations. I don’t want to transfer any message with my lyrics, it’s all about fun, my actual mood with a touch of sarcasm in good fun.

I live in Cologne but except the Dom and the Carnival there is nothing spectacular going on in this city. The nightlife in Cologne can be described as a monoculture. Since ages they play the same old boring minimal bullshit in the clubs. Everybody is complaining but they all keep going to these parties, moving like sloths on the dancefloor. The DJ’s keep playing their lullaby and the German press keeps reviewing this stuff as the hottest shit. It’s hopeless! Well but there is one good thing about living in such a boring city: It’s the best place to work!

My favorite places to play are the clubs Stardust and Goa in Madrid at the moment. The Spanish crowd is the craziest and very stylish! Fashion is very important to me. It’s like music, a tool to express yourself individually. A club full of stylish people is a nice place to play, to look at and to hang around…”

This filthy banger remixed by Fukkk Offf swept the blogosphere and left us yearning for more from this collaboration.

Maral Salmassi - Fire Gem (Fukkk Offf Remix)

Maral Salmassi - Back Up Your Ass

Be sure to have a listen to Maral’s mix, 11th in the series off the No Love Lost Records Mixtape Project!!

Maral Salmassi Official Biography
Maral Salmassi, born on 24th July 1975 in Teheran, first grew up in Persia and later in Jordan. With the fall of the Shah’s regime in 1979, the family was forced to return to Persia and after seven years under the Islamic regime, they managed to escape from a country subverted by the war between Iran and Iraq and settled in Germany in 1986.

Among the many characteristically uncharacteristic Techno protagonists in Cologne, Maral Salmassi is the most uncharacteristic one: nothing in her work refers to the specific Cologne style or can be defined as “made-in-Cologne”. On her early label Konsequent Records for example, there were mainly straight Tool Techno releases in style of Berlin-based Tresor label sounds. Today, Maral produces funky, playful Glamour Tech which is more a combination of New York Wave Disco, old school hip hop and electro and French Cut-Up Hop than Cologne Post-Minimal sounds and styles.

Maral Salmassi started her career as a DJ in Cologne in 1994. In 1997, she founded the label Konsequent Records and became co-partner of Cologne-based Oldschool Electro and Miami Bass distribution Formic Distributions. In 1999, she founded the label, Art of Perception, with a number of opulent soundtrack series and releases from Jimi Tenor, Kim Cascone, Bochum Welt, Alter Ego, Christian Morgenstern and Andrew Watherall. In 2002, she founded Television Records with releases from artists such as John Starlight aka Zombie Nation, Quesh, Kitbuilders or Codec & Flexor.

Since 2003, she works mainly on her own productions as producer and singer and can look back to a number of co-operations with acts such as Ascii Disco, Zombie Nation and Zero Cash aka Fabian Stall. In early 2005, together with Fabian Stall – known for co-productions with acts and bands, for example FM Einheit, Khan (Captain Comatose) and Air Liquide – she founded the band project Golden Days. And in 2007, both founded the label Television Records conceived as a platform for their own solo projects.

Discography
CDs - Maral Salmassi presents Nu Forms 2CD (Zoomshot) - Diabolus in Musiker / Compiled and mixed by Maral Salmassi CD (Konsequent) - The Kanzleramt Years / Compiled and mixed by Maral Salmassi CD (Kanzleramt) - Maral Salmassi presents „It’s not just about skiing…“CD (Forte)

12” Releases
Maral Salmassi feat. Ascii Disko– Banana Man 12” (Television Records) - Maral Salmassi – Get on Top 12” (Television Records) Produced with Break 3000 - Maral Salmassi – Robot Queen 12” (Television Records) Produced with Zombie Nation - Maral Salmassi – Schaffellomania / Hotze – Pussy Galore Soundtrack – 12” (radio play music) - Golden Days – Keep it Dry 12” (Television Rec.) - Maral Salmassi – Love 12” (Art of Perception) - Golden Days- We deliver your Demand 12” (Television Rec.) - Jonjon & G. Digger Feat. Maral Salmassi – All the Girls (Criminal Rec.) - Maral Salmassi - Victims Of The Super-Ape (Television Rocks) - Maral Salmassi - Break Dance (Television Rocks) - Maral Salmassi - Natural Fun (Television Rocks)

Coming Soon
-Maral Salmassi – Fire Gem Remixes by Fukkk Offf & AcidKids (Television Rocks)
Remixes - Maral Salmassi – Robot Queen (Television Rec) - Golden Days – Keep it Dry (Television Rec) - John Starlight – Deep Down (Television Rec) - Jonjon & G. Digger feat. Maral Salmassi – All the Girls (Criminal Rec.) - Munk feat. Asia Argento – Live Fast Die Old (Maral Salmassi & Zero Cash Remix) (Gomma)