DJ known for dance track Children
Born: November 3, 1969;
Died: May 9, 2017
ROBERT Miles, who has died of cancer aged 47, was an Italian musician and DJ who had a huge hit around the world in the 1990s with his dance track Children.
The instrumental tune, which reached number two in the UK, was composed as a reaction to the number of people killed on the roads late at night by clubbers driving home. Miles said that the track was deliberately slow and dream-like so that when it was played as the last track before people went home, it would calm them down.
Children sold over five million copies and took the number one spot in the Euro Top 100 chart for 13 consecutive weeks. It was said to have been produced at a cost of only £150.
Miles, whose real name was Roberto Concina, also enjoyed success with the track Fable and the album Dreamland, and went on to produce music.
He was born in Switzerland but grew up in Italy, where his father was in the military. Initially, he trained in classical piano but when he was 17 he abandoned his studies and started working as a DJ at clubs in Venice.
He composed Children in 1994 and after playing it in the club where he was working, interest spread. In the UK, Pete Tong championed the track and it was eventually released in 1996, becoming an instant hit. Miles's album Dreamland was also successful.
As his success grew, Miles moved to London where he worked on new tracks. He had two more British top ten singles, Fable and One and One, and collaborated with a number of other musicians including Nitin Sawhney. He also released five more albums, including 1997’s 23am, 2001’s Organik and Miles Gurtu in 2004, and won a Brit award in 1997.
The producer and friend of Miles Joe T Vannelli described Miles as an artist of our time. "I will miss the fights, brawls, criticism, judgements but especially your talent in finding sounds and melodies unparalleled," he said.
"I remember 1997 Brit Awards ceremony very well. Robert Miles was the best international newcomer award, introduced by Gary Barlow. Miles was the only one Italian artist winner in BA history."
In 2012 Miles launched a Balearic radio station which plays experimental music.
In a statement, the station said: "Robert was more than just an artist, he was a pioneer, a creator, an inspiration, a son, a father, our friend." The station said that Miles had died after suffering stage 4 metastatic cancer over the last nine months.
The statement went on: "Throughout it he was strong, determined, incredibly brave and did everything he could to fight this horrendous disease."
In recent years, Miles had been based in Berlin and Ibiza, where he is reported to have died.
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