The Fascinating Career of Robin Scott, the Man Behind M’s No. 1 Hit “Pop Muzik”

The first No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1980 was “Please Don’t Go” by KC and the Sunshine Band, but retrospectively, we can see that the ‘80s were actually ushered in two months earlier. In the first week of November 1979, an English musician going by the name of M topped the Hot 100 with “Pop Muzik.” While the song embraced the waning trend of disco, its synthesized, plasticized sound had more in common with what would dominate the charts over the next few years than anything from the late ‘70s.

Robin Scott—either under his own name or the “M” alias—would not crack the Billboard charts again. However, his career was about much more than one huge hit that happened at a transition moment in popular music. As a recording artist, producer, and label head, Scott has worked with an eclectic array of notable musicians. Here are a few of the highlights of Scott’s surprisingly varied career.

Scott’s Pre-“Pop Muzik” Journey

Scott traveled a great distance musically before unleashing “Pop Muzik” on the listening public. He started out in the late ‘60s as a folk artist, and in 1969, he released his first album Woman from the Warm Grass. Sandy Robertson produced Scott’s debut, and he would soon go on to produce several albums by Fairport Convention spinoff Steeleye Span and former Fairport Convention vocalist Iain Matthews.

It would not be long before Scott would put his recording career on hold. In the mid-’70s, he managed and produced the English-American pub band Roogalator. The group recorded three John Peel Sessions for Peel’s famous BBC Radio 1 program, but they never achieved much commercial success. Their Scott-produced single “Cincinnati Fatback” was notable for being one of the first releases from the seminal English punk label Stiff Records.

In 1978, Scott would co-found his own label, Do-It Records, which would release Roogalator’s only full-length album Play It by Ear. Do-It would subsequently release the first Adam & the Ants album Dirk Wears White Sox (1979), and the first two albums by the Swiss synth-pop band Yello—Solid Pleasure (1980) and Claro Que Si (1981). Dirk Wears White Sox was a No. 1 independent album in the UK, while Solid Pleasure spawned “Bostich,” the first of many U.S. dance hits for Yello.

A Big Hit with a Little Help from Some Stars

The successes Scott had as a label head and producer were eclipsed by the achievements of “Pop Muzik.” While Scott was the driving force behind M, he didn’t make “Pop Muzik” or the 1979 album that included it—New York • London • Paris • Munich—all by himself. Level 42 co-founder Phil Gould played drums and percussion, and a pair of frequent Level 42 collaborators—Wally Badarou and Gary Barnacle—performed on the album as well. That trio also appeared on Scott’s second album as M, The Official Secrets Act, as did Level 42 frontman and bassist Mark King.

Another name stands out above the others on the credits for New York • London • Paris • Munich. The album was recorded at Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland, which was not far from the home of David Bowie. He made it down to the studio, though the late legend is only credited with handclaps. Bowie’s longtime engineer and producer David Richards was one of three engineers to work on New York • London • Paris • Munich.

Even More Genre Explorations

In just over a decade, Scott had gone from being Fairport Convention-adjacent to punk-adjacent to Level 42-adjacent. By the early ‘80s, Scott still had more genre explorations to engage in. In 1981, he co-produced avant-garde musician and electronic music pioneer Ryuichi Sakamoto’s third solo album Left Handed Dream.

Two years later, Scott would collaborate with the South African quartet Shikisha and record the album Jive Shakisha! Scott and the four women who comprised Shikisha share the vocals on this album of mostly township music (with the occasional nod to Western pop). Though it was recorded more than two years before Paul Simon introduced many Western music fans to the genre on Graceland, Jive Shakisha! was not released until 1998.

So, yes, there is a lot more to Scott than just a single quirky late-‘70s hit. He has remained active in recent years, releasing several singles, including “Sigo Aqui” earlier this year, and a 2023 compilation album entitled Life Class. Given how bold “Pop Muzik” sounded when it first came out, we shouldn’t be surprised to learn Scott has been taking musical risks for well over half a century. His signature hit is just one small part of an incredible musical adventure.

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