Awesome Playlist Blog

The Awesome Running Playlist – Track 35

Children – Robert Miles (1996)

If you had to pick your Top 10 dance tunes, this one would have to be in there.

A pioneering track of Dream Trance, (which aimed to calm lively crowds down before their journey home) peaking at number one in more than 12 countries, but “only” making number 2 in the UK. (We’re an odd bunch).

I struggled to pick the best version of which there are many. The Original, the Dream Version, the one on my first mix CD from 1996 which I have never heard anywhere else (and just Shazam’d to tell me it’s the Message Version). Tilt’s excellent Courtyard Mix, especially mixed for the room at superclub Cream or the goosebump-inducing Piano cover version by Thomas Kruger. The piano version was recently sent to me by my friend Tim with the message “No words needed, just listen”.

I suppose that is what it is with such a good tune. It can be mixed up a number of different ways and they’re all great. The beautiful piano melodies and the four-on-the-floor bass. It’s just a classic.

Back in 1996, Pete Tong appointed Children the Essential Tune of The Week every week for three weeks that culminated in a bidding war amongst UK record companies. Deconstruction Records ended up winning out against Tong’s own FFRR Records.

Sadly, Miles died in 2017 at the age of 47 after a 9-month battle with cancer, but this is a tune that will live on.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.