News of the Swiss-born Italian artist’s death was first reported by DJ Mag Italia, who claim he died of an “unspecified illness” but this has yet to be confirmed. Producer and longtime friend Joe T Vannelli verified the reports to the Press Association, 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,” Vannelli said. “I will miss the fights, brawls, criticism, judgements but especially your talent in finding sounds and melodies unparalleled.”
Miles – real name Roberto Concina – 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 was also known for launching Open Lab, a Balearic radio station which broadcast from Ibiza and covered arts, media and technology.
Many established names in the world of electronic music have since celebrated the late artist’s career, with DJ Pete Tong, an early champion of Children, thanking Miles “for the music” and Darude thanking him for “the inspiration, direction and courage.”
Miles’s radio station OpenLab confirmed he died «after a courageous battle with stage four metastatic cancer».
The news was broken by producer and longtime friend Joe T Vannelli, who said: «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.»
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.»It added: «Throughout [his illness] he was strong, determined, incredibly brave and did everything he could to fight this horrendous disease.»
Other figures in the dance music community to pay tribute included Darude, who tweeted: «RIP Robert Miles. Thank you for the inspiration, direction & courage!». Armin van Buuren said: «Really in shock to hear the news of the passing of Robert Miles,» while Chicane wrote: «I only played ‘Children’ 2 weeks ago on Sun:sets…. I wished I had written it.»
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This article originally appeared on BBC
