M (band)
| Company type | Music project |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1978 in London, England |
| Founder | Robin Scott |
| Headquarters | London , England |
Area served | United Kingdom, United States |
Key people | Robin Scott, Wally Badarou, Mark King, Phil Gould, Gary Barnacle |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
M is a British new wave and synth-pop initiative established in 1978 in London, England by musician Robin Scott.[1] The project gained widespread recognition for the 1979 track "Pop Muzik", which climbed to number two on the UK singles chart in May 1979 and secured the top position on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on November 3, 1979.[1] Key collaborators included Wally Badarou, Mark King, Phil Gould, and Gary Barnacle from Level 42.[1]
Band history
The alias M was first adopted by Robin Scott in 1978 with the release of the single "Moderne Man".[2] Following this, "Pop Muzik" was produced featuring contributions from his brother Julian on bass, his wife Brigit Novik providing backing vocals, and Wally Badarou playing keyboards.[2] The album New York–London–Paris–Munich debuted in 1979.[2]
M achieved three additional singles that charted in the UK: "Moonlight and Muzak" reached No. 33 in December 1979, "That's the Way the Money Goes" peaked at No. 45 in March 1980, and "Official Secrets" attained No. 64 in November 1980.[3] The project released five studio albums: New York • London • Paris • Munich (1979), The Official Secrets Act (1980), and Famous Last Words, which was mainly recorded in 1982 but not issued in the UK until 2000.[4] Another album, Robin Scott with Shikisha, recorded in 1984, saw release in 1998.
The initial single "Moderne Man" was subsequently re-recorded and remixed alongside "Satisfy Your Lust" as a medley on New York • London • Paris • Munich. The original versions of these singles were included on the 1997 CD reissue. Additionally, a remixed version of "Pop Muzik" was utilized as the opening theme for U2's PopMart Tour.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
On June 23, 2023, Scott introduced "Break the Silence", marking M's first new single after a hiatus of 43 years.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name Subsequently, the fifth album under M's name, titled The FAQs of Life, was released on July 11, 2025, accompanied by the single "AI?", representing M's first collection of original material in over forty years.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Original member
- Robin Scott – vocals, guitar, synthesizer, piano, keyboards
Contributors and session musicians
- Brigit Novik Vinchon – vocals (1978–1982)
- Wally Badarou – keyboards, synthesizers, sequencer (1978–1984)
- Julian Scott – bass (1978–1982)
- Philip Gould – drums, percussion (1978–1980)
- Gary Barnacle – saxophone, flute (1978–1982)
- David Bowie – handclaps (1978)
- David Vorhaus – synthesizer (1980)
- Mark King – guitar, drums, bass (1980–1982)
- Paddy Keenan – uilleann pipes (1980)
- Marlisse & Steve – backing vocals (1982)
- Mary Bird – backing vocals (1982)
- Andy Gill – guitar (1982)
- Gordon Huntley – guitar (1982)
- Jamie West – guitar (1982)
- Nick Plytas – organ, moog bass, piano, backing vocals (1982)
- Barry Adamson – bass (1982)
- Tony Levin – bass (1982)
- Andy Anderson – drums (1982)
- Sergio Castillo – drums (1982)
- Yukihiro Takahashi – drums (1982)
- John Lewis – synthesizer, sequencer (1982)
- Thomas Dolby – synthesizer, sequencer (1982)
- Sammy Smile – bass (1984)
- Columbo Lamu – brass (1984)
- Tabu Frantal – guitar (1984)
- Mose Fan Fan – guitar (1984)
- Shikisha – vocals (1984)
- Betty Boo Hlela
- Doreen Webster
- Julia Muntu Mathunjwa
Studio albums
| Album | Release Year | Highest Chart Rankings | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | United States | |||
| New York–London–Paris–Munich | 1979 | 97 | 79 | |
| The Official Secrets Act | 1980 | — | — | |
| Famous Last Words[lower-alpha 1] | 1982 | — | — | |
| Jive Shikisha![lower-alpha 2] | 1984 | — | — | |
| The FAQs of Life | 2025 | — | — | |
| "—" indicates the album either did not chart or was not distributed in that region. | ||||
Compilation albums
- Pop Muzik – The Very Best of M (1996, Music Collection International)
- Pop Muzik (1997, Collectables Records) Reissue of the US edition of New York–London–Paris–Munich.
- 'M' The History – Pop Muzik The 25th Anniversary (2004, Union Square Music)
- Pop Muzik – 30th Anniversary Remixes (2009, Echo Beach) Includes 13 remixes of "Pop Muzik".
Singles
| Single | Release Year | Highest Chart Positions | Certifications | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | Australia | US Hot 100 | US Dance | |||
| "Moderne Man" | 1978 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Pop Muzik" | 1979 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
|
| "Moonlight and Muzak" | 33 | 37 | — | — | ||
| "That's the Way the Money Goes" | 1980 | 45 | — | — | — | |
| "Official Secrets" | 64 | — | — | — | ||
| "Keep It to Yourself" | 1981 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Danube" | 1982 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Eureka"[lower-alpha 3] | 1983 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Crazy Zulu"[lower-alpha 3] | 1984 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Pop Muzik" (remix) | 1989 | 15 | — | — | — | |
| "Break the Silence" | 2023 | – | — | — | — | |
| "AI?" | 2025 | – | — | — | — | |
| "—" indicates a single that either did not chart or was unavailable in that market. | ||||||
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