Robert Miles, trance producer and DJ best known for his No 1 hit Children, has died aged 47 in Ibiza after a courageous battle against cancer.
The Swiss-born Italian artist Robert Miles – real name Roberto Concina – ’s death was confirmed by producer and longtime friend Joe T Vannelli that verified the reports to the Press Association was right, saying: “Yes man, (it) is a tragedy.” He later posted a tribute to the producer on his Facebook:
The tragic news of the death of a very talented artist of our time, makes me incredulous and upset. I will miss the fights, brawls, criticism, judgements but especially your talent in finding sounds and melodies unparalleled.
– Joe T Vannelli
Robert Miles released his debut, Dreamland, in June 1996, an album which went platinum in Europe. It featured the hypnotic trance track “Children“, which cost just £150 to produce, and went to No 1 in more than 12 countries. In the wake of this success, he retreated from the glare, releasing a string of albums that included 1997’s 23am, 2001’s Organik and Miles_Gurtu in 2004. He launched Open Lab, a Balearic radio station which broadcast from Ibiza and covered arts, media and technology that also published a statement on their Facebook page to pay tribute to the founder :
It is with a very heavy heart that we say our farewell to Roberto Concina, known as Robert Miles. Robert passed away peacefully last night after a courageous battle with stage 4 metastatic cancer over the last 9 months. Throughout it he was strong, determined, incredibly brave and did everything he could to fight this horrendous disease. Robert was more than just an artist, he was a pioneer, a creator, an inspiration, a son, a father, our friend. A proper obituary will be released shortly. Please join us in sending our thoughts, love and respect to his family & daughter, who meant the absolute world to him x
– Open Lab
If you want to remember his legacy and this legendary track “Children“, you can listen to it below :