Robert Miles dies aged 47

[yorkie]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-39869009

DJ Robert Miles, best known for his trance hit Children, has died at the age of 47 after a short illness.

The Italian musician topped the charts in 12 countries with the track, which was first released in 1995 and reached number two in the UK in 1996.

He also won the Brit Award for best international breakthrough act in 1997.

Pete Tong led the tributes to the DJ, who died in Ibiza, tweeting: "Sad to hear Robert Miles passing. RIP, thanks for the music."

Sad news.

I'm sure most people here will have heard Robert Miles' best known track, Children.

[youtube]CC5ca6Hsb2Q[/youtube]

The track features on my favourite album right now, Classic House by Pete Tong and the Heritage Orchestra. You can find that version here.

Does a railway station feature in One & One? If so, anyone recognise it?

 

[Blindtraveler]

Unsure about the answer to that, but good track. Robert Miles a very tallented man and a great loss. RIP.

Oh and agreed, a great album, I must confess to converting the full Prom event to MP3 from the youtube vidio.

 

[yorksrob]

Very sad news.

One of those tunes that takes me back to my sixth form years - along with 'Return to Innocence' by Enigma.

 

[northwichcat]

Didn't realise this

Children is one of the most iconic tracks in the history of dance music.
It launched a new genre - "dream house" - and although that did not last long, the more melancholy, cerebral sound opened the door for trance music, which would come to dominate clubs in the late 1990s, going fully mainstream into the new millennium.
That sound was a very deliberate choice by Miles, whose real name was Roberto Concina.
Although Children was initially written in response to images of the child victims of the Balkans war as Yugoslavia tore itself apart, the track then took on a different life - and a different motivation. Miles wanted to make it big to help save the lives of clubbers.
Car crash danger
The sound of Europe's clubs in the mid-1990s - in particular in Italy, where Miles lived - was amped-up tracks and hard beats.
But the high this music induced in clubbers - plus any substances they may have taken to enhance their experience - meant that when the night was over, they were still feeling the full effects of drugs and adrenaline.
This was blamed for a rise in car crashes at the weekends. Having danced all night and often driven many miles to get to the clubs, young drivers were losing control and ending up in appalling accidents.
In fact, so bad was the problem that it had its own term in Italy - "stragi del sabato sera" - Saturday night slaughter.
Children, therefore, was an option for DJs to put on as the last track of the night.
It had a soft beat, slower and far less frenetic than the music that would have preceded it. The full-length version started without any instruments at all - it began with the natural sound of a thunderstorm.
But it was the piano riff that really made Children different.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-39871459

 

[507021]

Sad news, RIP.

 

[RichmondCommu]

He was a bit of a 'one hit wonder' but nevertheless what a hit it was!

Very sad news, 47 is no age

 

[ATW Alex 101]

Sad news indeed! Love his hit Children and like Yorkie the album Classic House by Pete Tong and the Heritage Orchestra is one of my favorite albums.

I'm into music of that style and era so was particularly sad to hear of his passing. RIP.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Interestingly, as that BBC article suggests Children is a good one for slowing the pace down and relaxing a croud. I am not a club DJ but mobile disco and it does act as an excillent filler between more lively upbeat stuff and perhaps a few slow ones at the end, especialy handy at wedding and engagement or aniversary type functions

 

[SpacePhoenix]

R.I.P. Robert Miles. His "Children" track was a classic, of all the CDs i've got, "Children" must be the most featured track on them, must be on nearly 20 CDs

 

[westcoaster]

R.I.P a true musical legend, children reminds me of being at college,

Anyone remember this by angel city, with children as the background music. https://youtu.be/WS6HxCtyANM

 

[fowler9]

Did anyone else hear that the tune was partially related to young people dying driving home after dance nights in Italy while tired or under the influence? I remember hearing that in the 90's and it is being said again.

 

[yorkie]

R.I.P a true musical legend, children reminds me of being at college,

Anyone remember this by angel city, with children as the background music. https://youtu.be/WS6HxCtyANM

Yes, though I didn't think it was as good as their other covers.

I think it's better without lyrics.

Did anyone else hear that the tune was partially related to young people dying driving home after dance nights in Italy while tired or under the influence? I remember hearing that in the 90's and it is being said again.

I didn't hear that ... until jcollins posted it in post #4

 

[Blindtraveler]

Im with Yorkie here, not one of Angel Citys best efforts, still good though.

 

[Class172]

Oh and agreed, a great album, I must confess to converting the full Prom event to MP3 from the youtube vidio.

Don't worry, you're not the only one…

I too was saddened to read this on the news this morning. As has already been mentioned, it features in more than one CD in my music collection, and certainly has earnt that right!

It must be one of those tunes that first kindled my interest in the Electronica genre (in a broad sense) when I was young.

RIP.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Whats interesing on this thread is the number of people who still own and regularly use CD's. I dont own a single one these days, just around 2500 MP3s.

 

[Class172]

I use both CDs and MP3 files. Mostly the latter to play from my phone or computer, however when I want to buy music, I'll always prefer to purchase a physical copy of the disk and burn it myself (Amazon also offer the AutoRip facility where you get an automatic free MP3 copy with many CDs). The same applies to books, if I want a book it will always be a physical copy; not an e-book.

 

[fowler9]

Yes, though I didn't think it was as good as their other covers.

I think it's better without lyrics.

I didn't hear that ... until jcollins posted it in post #4

Oops. Sorry Yorkie. Still getting on to this reading lark. He he.

 

[NorthernSpirit]

As someone who has played Robert Miles Children in the past on the radio, I'm going to ensure that this track and his others will be played on a future show - most likely to be one of the summer specials that I do for an RSL.

Shame to hear that he's died, as someone has mentioned 47 is no age to die.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Do I take it from your post your involved in community or Internet radio?

 

[Groningen]

Yes; a big shock. For me it was a one hit wonder, but beside that the record (Children) was not bad. I am not sure, but this RM is first known musician/pop death of 2017. And unfortunately; many are still to come!