KOWA + KLEIN
Reading an account of the lives of musicians Marlon Klein (Real Ax Band, Pili Pili, Dissidenten) and Win Kowa (Streetmark, Octopus, The Radio), one might get the impression their paths were never destined to cross. But destiny has a habit of provoking happy accidents, and auspicious evidence of such twists of fate can be heard on their collaborative debut. Not that "Summertime" is an album that arrived without sorrow as well. The veterans’ decision to unite followed the loss in July 2024 of Win’s wife, Jennifer Kowa, a founding member of Octopus, after the release of her 2nd solo album, "Stay Strong". Both men had worked side by side on the record, and by the start of 2025, they’d formed KOWA + KLEIN, with Frank I (Jennifer Rush, Terence Trent D'Arby, Pili-Pili) soon signing up as the band’s bassist. Their 10 track album features previously unreleased vocal contributions from Jennifer, and is due for release by Rouge Records/Sireena on September 26th, 2025, on CD, LP and via all digital music services.
“There’s a joy to making music”, Marlon says, introducing the album, “and if I can share that joy, then so much the better.” Certainly, it’s a quality evident throughout "Summertime", which opens with the luxurious, dreamy "Imagination", then immediately confirms its bold, confident mettle with the urgent "Time Will Tell", on which Win’s stellar guitarwork provides a typically dramatic climax, and the frantic "Dance". That’s not to mention "New York", on which Frank’s intricate bassline furnishes a distinctive foundation for a taut, slick, funk workout, and "What The World Needs", its effortless, albeit more understated groove, accompanying Jennifer’s calls for global compassion.
Her timeless delivery is rewarded, too, in the noble settings of the stripped back "Beautiful Tears" and elegantly slowburning "On The Road", while the title track also provides a moving reinterpretation of the evergreen Gershwin classic. But when the album concludes with "About Us", consolidating all 4 musicians’ talents while mysteriously summoning the ghosts of Roy Orbison and Patsy Cline, it’s a suitably heartfelt epitaph. “Virtuoso instrumental parts and lengthy guitar solos”, smiles Marlon, “are once again signs of good taste”.
Kowa and Klein are now into their 5th decade as musicians, the former having previously stated that he first began writing songs back when he was only 9. Indeed, the composer, guitarist and keyboard player, a native of Düsseldorf, was a founding member of hard rockers Straight Shooter before joining the more progressive Streetmark, for whom he composed some of the band’s most successful songs. These later additions to their catalogue include "Lovers" and "Sunny Queen", refined by producer Conny Plank for 1979’s "Dry", and he also became one of the earliest musicians in Europe to use a guitar synthesiser on stage, having played a Roland GR-500, one of the first models, in 1977.
In 1978, Win joined Octopus and met his soon to be wife Jennifer, a founding member of the prog rock band with whom she released 3 albums as lead singer. Her live performances and soulful, rocking voice inspired many critics to rate her as the genre’s best German female singer, and in 1981 the couple founded power rock trio The Radio. Win soon became an official endorser of Roland’s new GR-700 guitar synthesiser, with the sound banks he’d programmed also employed by, among others, Dave Stewart from Eurythmics. Over the years, too, he and Jennifer worked with other well known companies, among them Sennheiser, Hiwa , Vantage, Paiste, and again Roland.
During this time, Marlon kept himself busy exploring a myriad of his own musical opportunities. Having grown up in Herford, East Westphalia, the Woodstock generation’s German heartland, he’d successfully auditioned for the Detmold Music Academy in 1974, then went on to receive invitations from Harmonia and Neu! to drum by the River Weser, as well as another summons for Berlin. This arrived from West Berlin’s cult political rockers Lokomotive Kreuzberg, later The Nina Hagen Band. Marlon then founded the Real Ax Band, legendary proponents of German fusion, but after releasing 1977’s "Nicht Stehenbleiben / Move Your Ass In Time", the band split. Marlon didn’t hang around before starting his next project.
Formed alongside Uve Müllrich (Embryo, Lokomotive Kreuzberg) and Friedo Josch (Missus Beastly, Embryo), Dissidenten were pioneers of world music, once described by Rolling Stone as the 'Godfathers Of Worldbeat' and known for their work with Middle Eastern, African and Indian musicians. To this day, the trio’s albums, like 1982’s "Germanistan", 1984’s "Sahara Elektrik" and "1986’s "Life At The Pyramids", remain undisputed classics of the genre, and hits like "Fata Morgana" and "Telephone Arab" are still an integral part of millions of playlists, from Rome to São Paulo and beyond.
Yet still Marlon and Win failed to cross paths. Between 1992 and 2000, while Marlon was busy with Exil Musik, the label, publishing company and studio he’d set up with Dissidenten, Win produced 6 albums for IC-DigIt and was featured on numerous compilations like "Café del Mar" and "Café del Sol", not to mention compilations alongside artists such as Dido, Vangelis, Kitaro and Mike Oldfield. Their worldwide success, especially in the USA, opened doors to advertising agencies and film productions, and from 1992 the Kowas composed music for films and over a hundred TV commercials. Used in European and worldwide campaigns, these earned multiple prizes, including several Gold Comprix in London and the Golden Award of Montreux, while they were also finalists for the Golden Globe in New York.
While all this was going on, the long list of musicians with whom Marlon had worked, as sideman or producer, kept on growing and growing. Among them so far are Stephan Eicher, Trilok Gurtu, Pili-Pili, Angélique Kidjo and Gary Wright, who even invited George Harrison to their sessions. In recent years, as well, he’s left his musical fingerprint on more than a 1 000 albums, thanks to his growing success mastering and remastering for clients like Bear Family Records and Sireena Records.
Still, it wasn’t until 2023 that Win and Marlon 1st met. Win had produced Jennifer's solo debut album, 2019’s "Slow Down", and it was only when the couple were mastering new material at Marlon’s Exil Studio that fate finally brought the men together. Immediately recognising their shared musical references, Win and Marlon swiftly decided to combine forces as producers on Jennifer's next solo album, "Stay Strong", released by Sireena in early 2024. Tragically, Jennifer passed away just a few months later, on July 25th, but, despite the shock, Win and Marlon continued to collaborate.
Thus, in 2025, they founded KOWA + KLEIN, and "Summertime" represents the 1st fruits of their endeavours. Featuring unreleased vocal tracks previously recorded by Jennifer, it combines the experience and enthusiasm of all involved, offering a modern take on indie rock that also pays homage to the music of the 20th century’s last decades. As Marlon concludes, “First and foremost, I want to be happy with my music. If others like it as well, though, that’s even better”. This, like their meeting, is surely just a matter of time too.
The album, "Summertime", will be out on CD, LP and all digital services on September 26th, 2025, while the title track is out now exclusively on Bandcamp and YouTube.
