Mark Stewart (musician)

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Mark Stewart born Molesey is a British musician and founding member of The Pop Group. He makes polemical noise-funk with a hip-hop reggae dub feel and has recorded for On-U Sound Records and Mute Records. Stewart started out in Bristol in 1978 in music with The Pop Group, a band whose songtitles (such as "For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder?"), political conviction, disrespect for copyright and willingness to collaborate laid the foundations for his later work.

The Pop Group split in 1981, with Stewart and two other members heading off to London to hook up with the emerging On-U Sound "conspiracy of outsiders" as part of the New Age Steppers. On-U became a focal point an absurdly diverse set of networks - punks, reggae players from both the UK and Jamaica and free-jazzers.

Stewart has since made several albums under his own name as well as collaborating with artists such as Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails fame, Tricky, Massive Attack, Chicks on Speed, ADULT. and Primal Scream. In 2005, he released a collection of his best work on Soul Jazz Records entitled Kiss the Future. His latest album Edit will be released on the Crippled Dick Hot Wax! record label in spring/summer 2008.

He is currently living in Berlin, Vienna and Weymouth.

Stewart is well known in several European countries and Japan. He is currently having a documentary On/Off - Mark Stewart - from The Pop Group to the Maffia filmed by Tøni Schifer, including interviews with the likes of Nick Cave, Daniel Miller, Pop Group Members, Adrian Sherwood, Skip McDonald, Doug Wimbish, Keith LeBlanc, Fritz Hart (23 Skidoo) and others.