RobertMilesVEVO

Italian dream-house DJ Robert Miles rose from relative obscurity to score one of the biggest and most unlikely hits of 1996 with his single "Children." Born in 1969 to a military family stationed in Switzerland. Miles studied piano as a teen, and at 13 began DJ'ing house parties. By the late 80s he was spinning hardcore trance sets at Venice area clubs. In time, he assembled a basic studio system comprising a sampler, mixer, keyboard, and 32-track digital board, accepting production work.

"Children" was inspired by a collection of photos taken by Miles' father while stationed in war-torn Yugoslavia. Originally issued in 1994, the single emerged as an international blockbuster becoming the biggest European single of 1996.

After its follow-up, "Fable," Miles issued his debut LP, Dreamland, with its Dreamland II remix companion appearing a short time later. He resurfaced in 1997 with 23 AM. Miles' next full-length, Organik, arrived in 2001. Robert Miles died in May 2017.