M was English singer Robin Scott’s briefly active musical collaboration in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They played new wave and synthpop, and are most known for their 1979 hit «Pop Muzik», which reached #2 in the UK Singles Chart in May 1979, and #1 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on 3 November 1979. Other members of M at one time or another included Wally Badarou, Mark King, and Phil Gould, the latter two of whom were later to become original members of Level 42 and the former of whom would also become heavily involved with Level 42 as an unofficial member/producer.
Career
In 1978, Scott re-christened himself ‘M’ and recorded the single «Moderne Man,» which flopped.[1] However, M’s next release, «Pop Muzik,» was an instant classic; it featured support from Roogalator bassist Julian Scott (Robin’s brother), keyboardist Wally Badarou, programmer John Lewis, and backing vocalist, Brigit Novik (Scott’s wife).[1] Demand for an album was met by New York • London • Paris • Munich, which added woodwind player Gary Barnacle and drummer Phil Gould to M’s backing band.[1]
M had three other singles that achieved a chart entry in the UK, «Moonlight and Muzak» (#33 in December 1979), «That’s the Way the Money Goes» (#45 in March 1980) and «Official Secrets» (#64 in November 1980).[2] M released three studio albums throughout their career: New York • London • Paris • Munich in 1979, The Official Secrets Act in 1980, and Famous Last Words in 1981 which was never released in the UK. A fourth album, Robin Scott with Shikisha, was recorded in 1984, but was not released until 1998.
M’s first single «Moderne Man» was later remixed with «Satisfy Your Lust», the B-side of «That’s the Way the Money Goes», and appeared as a medley on their album New York • London • Paris • Munich. The original single releases appeared on the 1997 CD re-release. A remixed version of «Pop Muzik» was played before each concert of U2’s PopMart Tour.
Only a 1989 remix of «Pop Musik» returned the name of M to the charts.[3] Meanwhile, Scott worked with Ryûichi Sakamoto on two albums and recorded an album with African artists.
