Swiss-Italian record producer (1969?2017)
Robert Miles
|
---|
Miles in 2014
|
|
Birth name
| Roberto Concina
|
---|
Also known as
| |
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Born
| (
1969-11-03
)
3 November 1969
Fleurier
,
Neuchatel
, Switzerland
|
---|
Origin
| Fagagna
,
Friuli
, Italy
|
---|
Died
| 9 May 2017
(2017-05-09)
(aged 47)
Ibiza
, Spain
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Genres
| Trance
|
---|
Occupation(s)
| - Record producer
- composer
- musician
- DJ
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Years active
| 1994?2017
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Labels
| |
---|
Musical artist
Roberto Concina
(
Italian pronunciation:
[ro?b?rto
kon?t?iːna]
; 3 November 1969 ? 9 May 2017), known professionally as
Robert Miles
, was an Italian record producer, composer, musician and DJ.
[1]
His 1995 composition "
Children
" sold more than 5 million copies and topped the charts worldwide.
[2]
Early life
[
edit
]
Robert Miles was born in
Fleurier
, Switzerland, to Italian parents.
[3]
Miles became proficient at playing the piano during his youth in
Friuli
, Italy, in the small town of
Fagagna
, where his family moved when he was young, and had been in the music scene since 1984. He worked as a DJ in some Italian
clubs
and private radio networks, and in 1990 he used his savings to establish his own recording studio and a
pirate radio station
.
[4]
[5]
Originally performing under the name Robert Milani, he changed it to Robert Miles in anticipation "of the musical journey ahead of him".
[6]
Music career
[
edit
]
1994?1997: Breakthrough and
Dreamland
[
edit
]
In 1994, Miles wrote a
trance
and
chill-out
piece based on acoustic guitar chords and soft synthesizer effects, "
Children
", which was later developed into a
dream house
song featuring a piano theme on top.
[7]
The single picked up sales slowly; however, within two weeks of its official release in 1995, it had sold more than 350,000 copies all over Europe and topped the
charts
in many countries. The single received an unprecedented "Essential Tune of The Week" three weeks in a row on
Pete Tong
's show, causing a furious bidding war. It was then signed to Deconstruction Records in the UK by Giles Goodman of Dynamik Music (who represented Platipus Records the initial UK licensee).
[7]
After occupying the Euro Top 100 chart number 1 spot for thirteen consecutive weeks
(see
European Hot 100 Singles
)
by 1997, "Children" had sold more than five million copies worldwide. It earned Miles
platinum records
[8]
[9]
in many countries, a
Brit Award for International Breakthrough Act
1997 (Miles was the only Italian artist to have received the award until its final award for that category in 2012),
[10]
a World Music Award as World's Best Selling Male Newcomer,
[7]
and various other awards.
Miles' next single was "
Fable
".
[7]
Part of this song was used in the theatrical trailer for the U.S. movie
Ever After
(see
Ever After § Trailer
)
starring
Drew Barrymore
and
Dougray Scott
. His debut album
Dreamland
was released on 7 June 1996 in Europe,
[7]
and released in the United States about a month later. The album included a cover of "
One and One
" featuring British singer Maria Nayler. This cover became very popular (it reached number 1 in the Euro Top 100 Singles Chart during the Christmas period and remained in the top spot for six consecutive weeks)
[11]
and was later released as a single in Europe and the U.S.
1997?1998:
23am
[
edit
]
In November 1997, Miles released another track, "
Freedom
", which was one of the key tracks on his second album
23am
,
[7]
featuring vocals provided by
Kathy Sledge
of
Sister Sledge
. Containing a different feel from the previously more club-oriented
Dreamland
,
23am
incorporated more lyrics-driven songs than its predecessor while maintaining Miles' trademark piano sound from the first album.
[7]
1998?2002: Departure from label and
Organik
[
edit
]
After splitting from
Deconstruction
,
BMG
and his former management in London, he set up his own
independent record label
Salt Records
(stylised as S:alt Records, with S:alt being short for suitably:alternative) in 2001 and released his third album,
Organik
,
[12]
featuring the new single "Paths" with vocals provided by
Nina Miranda
of
Smoke City
. Guests on the album included
Trilok Gurtu
,
Bill Laswell
and
Nitin Sawhney
. Music from
Organik
was used on various
movie soundtracks
such as
The Bourne Identity
,
Derrida
, and
City of Ghosts
. It was licensed to
Narada Productions
' Shakti Records label in the USA. In 2002, an album containing mainly
remixes
of songs found on
Organik
was released. The album, appropriately entitled
Organik Remixes
,
[13]
contained remixes by the winners of the remixing contest held on Robert Miles's Web site, as well as remixes from well-known artists such as
Future Sound of London
,
Riton
, and Alexkid among others.
[14]
The album also had one new track, "Bhairav", which featured the vocals of
Amelia Cuni
.
[15]
2004?2005:
Miles_Gurtu
[
edit
]
In 2004, Miles released
Miles Gurtu
,
[16]
his fourth album, which was a collaboration with percussionist
Trilok Gurtu
and included
jazz
and
electronica
elements. Also guesting on the album were
Nitin Sawhney
,
Jon Thorne
, Mike Patto and Paul Falloon.
[14]
2011?2012:
Thirteen
[
edit
]
Miles' fifth album, entitled
Thirteen
,
[17]
was released worldwide on Salt Records in February 2011. For this album, Miles produced a blend of alternative and
progressive rock
with
ambient
and electronic soundscapes.
[18]
In 2012 Miles finished working on the soundtrack for the movie documentary
The Turn of THIS Century
, directed by Peter Beyak and featuring the photography of
Life Magazine
. He founded a new FM and online alternative radio station,
Open Lab
, broadcasting from
Ibiza
, a project bringing together culture, arts, media, technology and innovation.
[19]
Death
[
edit
]
Miles died from
metastatic cancer
in Ibiza, Spain, on 9 May 2017 at the age of 47.
[20]
[3]
Miles’ OpenLab station was taken off-air shortly afterwards, pending discussions on the future of the station. After receiving many messages from people expressing dismay at the station's suspension, it was announced that the station would be returning soon in 2019, starting with a live radio stream in January 2019 and followed by a reboot to radio on 106.4 FM in Ibiza in April 2019.
[21]
Discography
[
edit
]
Studio albums
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Robert Miles Biography"
.
IMO Records
. Archived from
the original
on 4 August 2012
. Retrieved
29 March
2011
.
- ^
Unterberger, Andrew (10 May 2017).
"Robert Miles' 'Children' Was a Time-Blurring, Brain-Sticking Classic"
.
billboard.com
.
Archived
from the original on 13 May 2017
. Retrieved
19 May
2017
.
- ^
a
b
"Robert Miles: DJ known for 1990s hit Children dies aged 47"
.
BBC News
.
Archived
from the original on 31 March 2022
. Retrieved
10 May
2017
.
- ^
Candy, Darren (23 March 2013).
"Robert Miles Speaks To Addicted To Ibiza"
.
Addicted to ibiza
.
Archived
from the original on 6 April 2023
. Retrieved
8 August
2020
.
- ^
"R.I.P. Robert Miles (1969-2017)"
.
STACK | JB Hi-Fi
. 10 May 2017.
Archived
from the original on 10 June 2024
. Retrieved
8 August
2020
.
- ^
"Robert Miles obituary: Trance DJ behind hit chillout music track 'Children'
"
.
The Independent
. 12 May 2017.
Archived
from the original on 13 May 2017
. Retrieved
10 June
2024
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
Colin Larkin
, ed. (1998).
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music
(First ed.).
Virgin Books
. p. 223.
ISBN
0-7535-0252-6
.
- ^
"IFPI Awards 1997"
.
ifpi.org
. Archived from
the original
on 14 August 2010
. Retrieved
1 November
2011
.
- ^
"BPI Awards 1997"
.
Bpi.co.uk
. 17 January 2010. Archived from
the original
on 24 September 2009
. Retrieved
1 November
2011
.
- ^
"The BRITs 1997"
.
brits.co.uk
. Archived from
the original
on 12 November 2011
. Retrieved
1 November
2011
.
- ^
"MTV Top Euro Chart 1996"
.
ki.informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de
. Archived from
the original
on 15 February 2018
. Retrieved
1 November
2011
.
- ^
"Salt Records Discography"
. Salt Records. Archived from
the original
on 25 April 2012
. Retrieved
1 November
2011
.
- ^
"Salt Records Discography"
. Salt Records. Archived from
the original
on 9 May 2012
. Retrieved
1 November
2011
.
- ^
a
b
"RA ? Electronic music online"
.
Resident Advisor
.
Archived
from the original on 19 January 2022
. Retrieved
18 January
2022
.
- ^
Organik Remixes - Robert Miles | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic
,
archived
from the original on 19 January 2022
, retrieved
19 January
2022
- ^
"Salt Records Discography"
. Salt Records. Archived from
the original
on 15 May 2012.
- ^
"Salt Records Discography"
. Salt Records. Archived from
the original
on 31 March 2012
. Retrieved
7 October
2018
.
- ^
Th1Rt3En - Robert Miles | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic
,
archived
from the original on 19 January 2022
, retrieved
19 January
2022
- ^
"Open Lab"
.
openlab.fm
.
Archived
from the original on 31 December 2021
. Retrieved
15 June
2017
.
- ^
"Fallece el Dj Robert Miles, creador del tema 'Children'
"
.
24 Horas
(in Spanish). 9 May 2017. Archived from
the original
on 10 May 2017.
- ^
"Open Lab"
.
openlab.fm
.
Archived
from the original on 31 December 2021
. Retrieved
28 May
2018
.
Further reading
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
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Studio albums
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Compilation albums
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Singles
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International
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National
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Artists
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Other
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