Robin Scott

Robin Esmond Scott is a British musician from Croydon, in south London, born in 1947. He is best known as the founder of the music project M, associated with the hit single “Pop Muzik”.

Early life and education

Scott grows up in Croydon and, after leaving school, enrols at Croydon Art College. There he meets Malcolm McLaren in the late 1960s, and becomes friends with McLaren and Vivienne Westwood. He turns down their invitation to take part in SEX, the Chelsea clothes shop they launch, choosing instead to pursue a music career.

Early recordings and folk work

While at college, Scott shows an aptitude for writing topical songs, and he performs them on radio and television. This leads to his debut album, Woman From the Warm Grass, which is issued on the independent label Head Records. He records the album with the support of Mighty Baby, although the studio soon closes.

He then works as a troubadour, singing his own material and accompanying himself on guitar. He spends time playing folk clubs as a solo performer and shares bills with artists including David Bowie, John Martyn and Ralph McTell.

Work in the late 1970s and M

As punk begins to emerge in late 1976 and early 1977, Scott works with Roogalator as both producer and manager. During this period, Adam and the Ants introduce themselves to Do It Records. In 1978 he works as a producer for Barclay Records in Paris, where he lives with his girlfriend Brigitte Vinchon, also known as Brigit Novik.

In Paris he produces and films an all-female punk quartet, The Slits, with director Julian Temple. While still there, he records early versions of “Moderne Man” and “Satisfy Your Lust”, both of which later appear on the first M album. He also records “Pop Muzik” with a group of session musicians he calls M. He describes the song as a summary of 25 years of pop music and of his time in the music industry.

Style and wider career

Scott’s work spans several decades and is associated with singer-songwriter material as well as disco, electronic, experimental, pop and rock. His earlier material also places him within folk and psychedelic contexts.