Purwien & Kowa – SIDE-LINE https://www.side-line.com Industrial, electro, EBM, post-punk, darkwave news Tue, 10 Nov 2026 08:36:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.4 https://www.side-line.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/cropped-side-line-logo-png-32x32.png Purwien & Kowa – SIDE-LINE https://www.side-line.com 32 32 Purwien & Kowa release sixth album ‘Sechs’ on October 23 https://www.side-line.com/purwien-kowa-sechs/ Thu, 22 Oct 2026 09:31:40 +0000 https://www.side-line.com/purwien-kowa-sechs/ Purwien & Kowa release their sixth album "Sechs" on October 23 via Town and Towers, produced by Olaf Wollschläger, on Bandcamp, digital and CD.]]>

German-Swiss synthpop duo Purwien & Kowa releases their sixth studio album, ‘Sechs’, on October 23, 2026, via Town and Towers. The eleven-track album was produced by Olaf Wollschläger and is available on Bandcamp, digitally and on CD.

The tracklist comprises “Italo-disco in San Francisco” in both German and English versions, “Concorde (12″ Mix),” “Hinter Glas,” “Bandit 2000,” “Gravity,” “System,” “We’re Wrong,” “Eyes of Aragon,” “Irgendwas ist immer” and “Me and My Synthex.” “Hinter Glas” was written by Andreas Sippel and Christian Purwien for Second Decay, Purwien’s former band, while “Eyes of Aragon” was written by Thomas Kowa for his former band No Comment. Christian Purwien sings lead vocals throughout, with Kowa joining him on “Me and My Synthex.”

Christian Purwien and Thomas Kowa are also the duo behind Heldautomat, whose own album “Zwischen den Lichtern” is released the same week. Side-Line previously covered two advance singles from “Sechs”: “Hinter Glas”, released ahead of the album, and “Italo-disco in San Francisco”.

About Purwien & Kowa

Purwien & Kowa is a German-Swiss electronic duo based in Dortmund, formed by Christian Purwien and Thomas Kowa. Purwien previously fronted Second Decay, and “Hinter Glas” on “Sechs” revisits a song he co-wrote for that band with Andreas Sippel. Kowa’s former band No Comment is similarly represented on the album through “Eyes of Aragon.” Purwien and Kowa also record together as Heldautomat, a parallel project whose album “Zwischen den Lichtern” arrives the same week as “Sechs.” The duo alternates between the two projects while also running the Disko80 podcast. “Sechs” is Purwien & Kowa’s sixth studio album, produced by Olaf Wollschläger and released through Town and Towers, following the advance singles “Hinter Glas” and “Italo-disco in San Francisco.”

]]> Purwien & Kowa release synthpop single ‘Italo-disco in San Francisco’ https://www.side-line.com/purwien-kowa-italo-disco-in-san-francisco/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 13:05:22 +0000 https://www.side-line.com/purwien-kowa-italo-disco-in-san-francisco/ Purwien & Kowa release the single "Italo-disco in San Francisco" on 9 October 2026 via Town & Towers Records, ahead of their album "Sechs" on 23 October.]]>

Town & Towers Records releases Purwien & Kowa‘s new single “Italo-disco in San Francisco” on 9 October 2026, ahead of the German synth-pop duo’s sixth studio album, “Sechs,” due 23 October on the same label.

The digital single carries four tracks: German and English versions of “Italo-disco in San Francisco,” an extended “Irgendwas ist immer (12″ Mix)” and a combined “German English Mashup 12″ mix” of the title track. Both language versions of the lyrics string together a run of 1980s references, naming figures including Lady Diana, Mikhail Gorbachev, Blondie, Phil Collins, Falco and Michael Jackson alongside songs such as “Blue Monday,” “Tainted Love,” “Like a Virgin,” “Take On Me,” “99 Luftballons,” “Forever Young” and “The Final Countdown.”

“Italo-disco in San Francisco” mixes Italo disco, synthpop, New Wave and EBM, and follows the singles “Concorde” and “Hinter Glas” as the third preview of “Sechs.”

About Purwien & Kowa

Purwien & Kowa is a German synth-pop duo based in Dortmund formed by Christian Purwien and Thomas Kowa. Purwien co-founded the electronic/darkwave act Second Decay in 1987, initially under the name Blue Velvet, together with Andreas Michael Sippel. Second Decay released the tape “Monochromes” in 1988 and the 12-inch “Killing Desire” in 1989, followed by “La Décadence Électronique” on CD in 1992, the “Hinter Glas” maxi-CD in 1993 and the album “Taste” in 1994. The band continued with “Der Nerv” in 1995, “Familiar” in 1997, “The Hunt” and “De Luxe” in 1998, “Hotels” in 1999 and “Kaltes, weißes Licht” in 2001, before pausing new material after the 2002 live release “Zwischenfall 1999.”

Thomas Kowa, born Thomas Kowalzik in 1969 in Ludwigshafen am Rhein, joined the German synth-pop band No Comment in 1989 and has lived in Switzerland since 2007. He founded the label Nanopop in 2001, closing it in 2007 to focus on writing. Since 2012 he has published a series of crime novels and thrillers. His other current music projects include Nine Seconds and Emily Kinski’s dead.

Purwien and Kowa began recording together as Purwien & Kowa, releasing the three-EP digital set “Drei” via Zwei Records in October 2018. The duo also co-hosts the Disko 80 podcast, which covers 1980s music and has featured more than 100 episodes with guests including Joachim Witt, Bernhard Lloyd of Alphaville and Marcus Meyn of Camouflage. Kowa separately co-hosts the “Krimi Schweiz” podcast on Swiss crime fiction. Purwien and Kowa also record together as Heldautomat, whose own single “Liebe ist endlich” reached Town & Towers Records on the same day as “Italo-disco in San Francisco.” The duo performed at the 18th Elektrisch Festival in 2026. Purwien & Kowa returned this year with the singles “Concorde,” “Hinter Glas” and “Italo-disco in San Francisco,” ahead of their sixth studio album, “Sechs,” produced by Olaf Wollschläger and due 23 October 2026 via Town & Towers Records.

]]> Purwien & Kowa release ‘Hinter Glas’ single ahead of ‘Sechs’ album https://www.side-line.com/purwien-kowa-hinter-glas/ Wed, 12 Aug 2026 08:13:51 +0000 https://www.side-line.com/?p=99222 German duo Purwien & Kowa revisit Christian Purwien's Second Decay track "Hinter Glas" with a CRED remix, ahead of their album "Sechs" on October 9.]]>

German synth-pop duo Purwien & Kowa release the single “Hinter Glas” on August 14, 2026 via Town And Towers Records. The track is a new version of “Hinter Glas,” a song originally released by Christian Purwien’s earlier band Second Decay, and arrives ahead of the duo’s sixth studio album, “Sechs,” due October 9, 2026 on the same label.

The digital single carries three tracks: “Hinter Glas,” a remix of “Eyes Of Aragon” by Swedish electronic duo CRED, and a 12″ mix of “Hinter Glas.” “Eyes Of Aragon” was originally recorded by No Comment, the German synth-pop band Thomas Kowa played in from 1989. The single is available on major streaming services through this link.

Purwien & Kowa reunite Second Decay and No Comment on ‘Hinter Glas’

“Hinter Glas” first appeared on Second Decay‘s 1993 maxi-CD of the same name and again a year later on the album “Taste,” the German wave/electronic act Christian Purwien co-founded with Andreas Michael Sippel in 1987. With Purwien & Kowa, Purwien re-recorded his own song while Thomas Kowa brought in a remix of “Eyes Of Aragon” from his former band No Comment, handled by CRED. The pairing puts a track from each half of the duo’s back catalogue on a single release.

Purwien & Kowa describe their own sound as “retro analogue synth pop without hair.” “Hinter Glas” follows the single “Concorde” as the second preview of “Sechs,” the duo’s sixth studio album, due October 9, 2026 via Town And Towers Records. The band also runs the Disko 80 podcast with Purwien and Kowa as hosts, and records as Heldautomat as a side project.

About Purwien & Kowa

Purwien & Kowa is a German synth-pop duo based in Dortmund formed by Christian Purwien and Thomas Kowa. Purwien co-founded the electronic/darkwave act Second Decay in 1987, initially under the name Blue Velvet, together with Andreas Michael Sippel. Second Decay released the tape “Monochromes” in 1988 and the 12-inch “Killing Desire” in 1989, followed by “La Décadence Électronique” on CD in 1992, the “Hinter Glas” maxi-CD in 1993 and the album “Taste” in 1994. The band continued with “Der Nerv” in 1995, “Familiar” in 1997, “The Hunt” and “De Luxe” in 1998, “Hotels” in 1999 and “Kaltes, weißes Licht” in 2001, before pausing new material after the 2002 live release “Zwischenfall 1999.”

Thomas Kowa, born Thomas Kowalzik in 1969 in Ludwigshafen am Rhein, joined the German synth-pop band No Comment in 1989 and has lived in Switzerland since 2007. He founded the label Nanopop in 2001, closing it in 2007 to focus on writing; since 2012 he has published a series of crime novels and thrillers. His other current music projects include Nine Seconds and Emily Kinski’s dead.

Purwien and Kowa began recording together as Purwien & Kowa, releasing the three-EP digital set “Drei” via Zwei Records in October 2018. The duo also co-hosts the Disko 80 podcast, which covers 1980s music and has featured more than 100 episodes with guests including Joachim Witt, Bernhard Lloyd of Alphaville and Marcus Meyn of Camouflage. Kowa separately co-hosts the “Krimi Schweiz” podcast on Swiss crime fiction. Purwien & Kowa returned in 2026 with the single “Concorde,” followed by “Hinter Glas,” ahead of their sixth studio album “Sechs,” due October 9, 2026 via Town And Towers Records.

]]> PURWIEN & KOWA - HINTER GLAS (Official Music Video) nonadult Purwien & Kowa – Drei (Digital 3-EP – Zwei Records) https://www.side-line.com/purwien-kowa-drei-digital-3-ep-zwei-records/ Wed, 24 Oct 2018 18:30:51 +0000 http://www.side-line.com/?p=16676 Genre/Influences: Electro-pop. Background/Info: German duo Christian Purwien and Thomas Kowa(lzik) are back on track unleashing...]]>
Genre/Influences: Electro-pop. Background/Info: German duo Christian Purwien and Thomas Kowa(lzik) are back on track unleashing 3 new EP’s entitled “Drei – 80s”, “Drei Disko” and “Drei Vegas”. Christian Purwien gained some fame as the singer of Second Decay while Thomas Kowalzik will be always linked to No Comment and since a couple of years to Nine Seconds. Content: Let’s start with “Drei 80s”, which is meant as an ode to the 80s, as it was written during the glorious and early days of electronic music. The songs indeed sound pretty 80s-minded, but quite electro-pop as well. “Drei Disko” reveals 6 more songs, which indeed now and then have been accomplished with some good-old disco tricks. But here again the electro-pop sound rules while the unique timbre of voice from Christian Purwien clearly reminds me of Second Decay. Last, but not least “Drei Vegas” is the most exotic part featuring 6 other cuts. From dubby-pop to pure exotic and even Brazilian influences to end with a cover version of Elvis Presley’s “Viva Las Vegas”, this is for sure the funniest part of “Drei”. + + + : The 3 EP’s are pretty different from each other and yet you’ll easily recognize the great vocals of Purwien. But I also have to mention the accomplished music production by Kowa, which especially on the three first tracks from “Drei Disko” reveals his great composition skills. All the songs have been masterly written and even the funniest “Vegas”-part makes sense. The duo here explores new influences, which I like for some of the lounge-like passages. – – – : The concept is pretty funny and original, but I can’t say all the songs have fully convinced me. I especially expected a bit more from the “80s”-EP while the “Vagas”-part sounds as pure fun; Conclusion: Purwien & Kowa features 2 talented and old servants from the electro-pop scene, which clearly like to work together and probably have a lot of fun. I’m however convinced this duo can do much better! Best songs: “Observer”, “Es Ist Wie Es Ist”, “Sleepless In Vegas”, “Viva Las Vegas”, “Komm Zu Dir”. Rate: (6½). Artist: www.purwienundkowa.com / www.facebook.com/purwienundkowa

About Purwien & Kowa

Purwien & Kowa pairs Second Decay singer Christian Purwien with Thomas Kowalzik, previously of Nine Seconds and, before that, No Comment. Kowalzik's Nine Seconds bandmate Rene Ebner was also a No Comment alumnus, as the pair recalled in a Click Interview with Side-Line. Purwien and Kowa have continued to release music together, including the 2026 single "Italo-disco in San Francisco".

]]> Purwien & Kowa – Zwei (CD Album – SPV) https://www.side-line.com/purwien-kowa-zwei-cd-album-spv/ Tue, 19 Dec 2017 20:30:36 +0000 http://www.side-line.com/?p=13355 Genre/Influences: Electro-pop, dance-pop. Background/Info: Christian Purwien (ex Second Decay) and producer Thomas Kowa joined hands...]]>

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop, dance-pop.

Background/Info: Christian Purwien (ex Second Decay) and producer Thomas Kowa joined hands to release this album. Purwien already released an album entitled “Eins” in 2007 on Major Records. We can speak about a kind of comeback of the ex-Second Decay member.

Content: “Zwei” is an album moving from rather dance-pop songs to refreshing although retro-like electro-pop music. The songs are catchy and danceable, and especially well-crafted and carried by an impressive production.

“Zwei” is a catchy and entertaining production, which sometimes sound a bit at the edge of commercial music, but quite progressively moving back to rather classical electro-pop music. Most of the songs have been sung in German, but there also is a great song at the end sung in English.

Both last cuts are extracts from “Pommespornopopstars”, which is a novel written by Kowa. It sounds funny and just a kind of bonus to the main music chapter.

+ + + : I was a huge admirer of Second Decay, which I still consider as one of the best electro-pop formations from the 90s. So it was a real pleasure to get some new music composed by Christian Purwien and especially some of the last cuts of the album remind me a bit of this great band. The songs are styled, carried by solid melodies and choruses. It’s a catchy production, which will especially appeal for lovers of more ‘commercial’ dance-pop music. The song “People From Ibiza” is a funny, but great club-minded song.

– – – : Some cuts are a little bit too commercial-orientated for me. It’s not exactly the most original music I’ve heard in this vein, but it will for sure catch the attention of numerous DJ’s.

Conclusion: “Zwei” is technically speaking a great production, but the content sometimes appears to be a little bit too commercial, uninspired and therefore predictable.

Best songs: “People From Ibiza”, “1000 Hände”, “Du”.

Rate: (7).

Band: www.purwienundkowa.com / www.facebook.com/pg/purwienundkowa

Label: www.spv.de / http://de–de.facebook.com/spvhannover

 

About Purwien & Kowa

Purwien & Kowa pairs Christian Purwien, former singer of Second Decay, with producer Thomas Kowa, previously of Nine Seconds and, before that, No Comment. Purwien released the solo album “Eins” on Major Records in 2007, a decade before he and Kowa released their debut joint album, “Zwei,” reviewed here.

Purwien & Kowa followed “Zwei” with the digital three-track EP set “Drei” on Zwei Records in October 2018, continuing the sequential German-numeral naming of their joint releases. The duo went on to release the sixth studio album in that series, “Sechs,” through Town And Towers in October 2026.

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