New Wave
The song “Pop Muzik” was written, produced, and performed by M, which was the alter-ego, as it were, of British musician Robin Scott. It was released in 1979 on M’s debut album New York -London-Paris-Munich and as a single, backed with “M Factor.” The song was an international smash, rising to #1 on the charts in several countries: the U.S., Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, South Africa, Sweden, and Switzerland. It was #1 on the Eurochart Hot 100. It was #2 in the U.K., Ireland, and Austria; #3 in Belgium, The Netherlands, and New Zealand; #5 in Italy and Norway; and #12 in France. And it received gold certification in the U.S. and Germany and Silver in the U.K.
The idea behind “Pop Muzik” entailed a fusing of styles of pop music for the previous 25 years — that is, from the British Invasion music to disco, and there are a lot of synthesized sounds of the studio going on. Scott wanted to say that all we talk about is pop music. On another level, Scott liked the way disco music brought people together onto the dance floor from around the world — yet with a DJ giving them direction. The line at the end of the song, “Do you read me loud and clear” is evidence of an authority in control.
The video, directed by Brian Grant, helped to promote the record. It shows Scott as a DJ behind a turntable setup, sometimes joined by two female models who sing and dance in a robotic way. The video was very popular as well. It got him work with The Human League, The Fixx, Duran Duran, and many others. When MTV launched in 1981, and “Pop Muzik” was featured often.
M’s backing musicians were called The Factor. He felt they were more of an organization than a band. On the album were Robin Scott (lead vocals, guitar), Brigit Novik (backing vocals), Wally Badarou (keyboards, synthesizers), Julian Scott (bass), Phil Gould (drums, percussions), Gary Barnacle (ax, flute), and David Bowie (handclaps). Robin Scott’s career of recording and performing has continued for many decades.