Industrial hip-hop and post-punk were both invented by Mark Stewart. He has produced music for Mute Records and On-U Sound Records. He founded The Pop Group in 1977, which was the start of his musical career. The Pop Group launched their debut album, “Y”, in 1979, drawing inspiration from punk, dub, and reggae.
Mark Stewart’s Career
Mark Stewart; image credit – Rolling Stone
Following the dissolution of The Pop Group in 1981, Stewart started working with early hip-hop artists like The Last Poets as well as artists of Sugar Hill Records. He frequently worked with other musicians, including Daddy G of the trip-hop group Massive Attack and Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream. The Pop Group reunited in 2010 for a string of live shows and produced two studio recordings. Stewart’s final performance with the group took place at Coventry UK City of Culture 2021 in the cathedral’s ruins.
Stewart’s interest in dub grew as a result of his continuous collaboration with Sherwood on solo albums under the moniker Mark Stewart & the Maffia. He maintained his ties to US hip-hop beginning with the 1985 album As the Veneer of Democracy Starts to Fade by using a supporting band that included guitarist Skip McDonald, bassist Doug Wimbish, and drummer Keith LeBlanc, who had previously performed on Sugar Hill Records albums like White Lines and The Message.
His 1987 self-titled solo album, which also included Ryuichi Sakamoto’s contributions and riffed on Erik Satie’s music, was supported once more by McDonald, Wimbish, and LeBlanc, with Sherwood serving as producer. With this band, he recorded two additional albums, Metatron and Control Data, and he also worked with musicians like Daddy G from fellow Bristolians Massive Attack.
Mark Stewart’s Cause Of Death
Sadly, the frontman and founding member of The Pop Group has passed away at age 62. Mark’s cause of demise has not been determined, and his family has asked for privacy at this trying time. In a statement issued by his record company Mute Records, Mark Stewart stated that he passed away early on Friday, April 21, 2023.
Tribute To Mark Stewart
His record company, Mute, acknowledged the news of his passing by writing that Mark Stewart transformed the world and that life without him won’t ever be the same. Knowing Mark, working with him, joking with him, and thinking with him was unlike anything else. Stewart, who came into the world in 1960 and raised in Bristol, started the Pop Group in 1977 with John Waddington & Simon Underwood, two friends from a local youth group. Soon after, Gareth Sager and Bruce Smith joined the group to round out the lineup.
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