Robert Miles DJ and composer, one of the founders of the Dreamhouse style Date of Birth: 03.11.1969 Country: Switzerland

Biography of Robert Miles

Robert Miles, a DJ and composer, is one of the pioneers of the Dreamhouse genre. Born Roberto Concina, Robert's father was a soldier. When he was 10 years old, his family moved to a small town near Venice, Italy. Growing up, Robert showed no interest in music and preferred to play with his friends. He was an obedient child and didn't cause any trouble for his parents, Antonietta and Albino. The only thing Robert actively avoided was playing the piano, an instrument that would later bring him worldwide fame. No matter how hard his music teachers tried, he simply refused to touch the piano keys.

As Robert grew older, he began teaching himself how to play the piano. He enjoyed doing things on his own, without any assistance. American music, particularly artists like Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, and Teddy Pendergrass, had a significant influence on him. In 1988, Robert started his professional career as a DJ, primarily playing Trance, Techno, and Progressive House. His first job in Italy was as a program director at a radio station. At the same time, he started working as a DJ at small Italian clubs like "Pick Up". However, Robert's dream was to have his own recording studio, which came true in 1990.

With the money he saved, Robert Miles purchased used equipment, including two turntables, a computer, and a mixer, and began working with his friends, one of whom was DJ Roberto Milani. Soon, Robert upgraded his equipment and released his first tracks for the Italian company Metrotraxx (MXX 00008 Ghost - 1994, MXX 00015 Oxygen EP Vol 1 - 1995). In 1994, Robert Miles started collaborating with the successful team of Joe T. Vannelli. Together, they created singles like "Soundtracks", "Red Zone", and "Children", which later became synonymous with the Dream House style.

In the summer of 1994, Miles released and successfully sold 1000 vinyl copies of these compositions. During this time, he also became the executive producer of J.T. Company Recording Studio. Six months later, in January 1995, they released a well-known dream version of the track "Children". The song quickly gained popularity in local clubs. Subsequently, the single was released in London by the independent studio Platipus and sold over 3000 copies. Deconstruction/BMG later re-released the single, which topped the charts worldwide, including countries like France, Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, Israel, and more. The single sold over 2 million copies, and it reached the number one spot on Eurochart Top 100, remaining there for six weeks. When "Children" was released in the USA, the renowned music magazine "Billboard" declared it a classic. The single occupied the top spot on the magazine's chart for 20 weeks, bringing immense popularity to Robert Miles' debut album, "Dreamland". The album sold 13 million copies worldwide.

Robert Miles himself was a Trance DJ, and his mixing style represented a new trend in Trance music. Later, this style came to be known as Dreamhouse, associated with the name of his first album. Dreamhouse, of course, has its roots in Techno. Now, let's delve into the story behind the single "Children". Why was it named so? Italy has the highest number of clubs in all of Europe, if not the world. There are 4000 clubs in Italy, frequented by over 4 million people every weekend. Many young people die in car accidents when returning from these clubs, as alcohol, drugs, and hours-long techno dancing contribute to these tragedies. Approximately 30 people lose their lives in such accidents every week. This led to the formation of the "Mama Anti-Rock Movement", which gathered more than 40,000 participants.

The movement demanded that club management close the venues no later than 2 am. This campaign gained significant resonance in Venice, where Robert Miles resided. Some of the well-known Venetian DJs, including Robert Miles, responded to this movement by slowing down the tempo of their compositions and incorporating melodic rhythms. Pioneers in this movement were DJs like Adriano Dodici, Gigi d'Agostino, Leonardo Rossi, Gianni Parrinias, and, of course, Robert Miles. In response to this campaign, Robert Miles composed the track "Children", which became a relaxing "dream music" composition.

With his style of "Dream music", Robert Miles introduced a new tempo and rhythm in music, which was supported by composers, DJs, and dream collectives like DJ Dado, Zhi-Vago, Centurion, Scalja, and many others.