Rocktrospectiva: The Beautiful And Magical "Dreamland" Turns 30

Released on 7 June 1996 "Dreamland" was the debut studio album by Robert Miles, the album earned critical acclaim in Europe, where it was a hit, and was also released in the United States about a month later, with a new track sung by Maria Nayler, "One and One." This new track became very popular and was later released as a single in the US and Germany, the album was also supported by two hit singles "Children" and "Fable".

 

Italian pianist Roberto Concina then turned DJ aka  Robert Miles scored a massive international hit with his wonderful, dreamy dance cut "Children" taken from this debut album Dreamland. Practically, the album  sounded as if it were one continuous song or set of beats with similar chord progressions, stretched over an hour, and this was practically its essence, sonic dreamscape so engaging and danceable. 

 

Something like a two in a one, danceable and chill out album, the sort of record that used to take the listener into another dimension and forget about everything, tunes full of melancholy, blissful, simplicity and smoothness, amongst its highlight you can count also "Fable" another cool track with the winning formula as "Children", using ehtereal female chant vocals with danceable tunes. 

 

Curiously, the formula is the same around track three, but when listener arrived by track four it can realize that this album was really only one long, continuous song, check track 5 "In My Dreams," servesd to turn things around, utilizing different break beats and a key change towards the song's finish. That is followed by the album's true highlight, for many "One and One," a gorgeous, touching, dreamy song, featuring tender vocals by Maria Naylar, which also became a massive international hit, and remains one of the most sincere dance songs of its era. 

 

"Princess of Light" came next and returned to the previous formula, but still managed to remain intoxicating. "In the Dawn" featured more straight-up, trance-like beats, and the album ends with the original version of "Children" and the album's closer, "Red Zone." possesed a undeniably dreamlike, intoxicating quality, which can be appreciated by young and old, and, if nothing else.

 

For several critics, this album was the peak of electronic music at the mid of the 90s., it had rhythm grooves, ethereal sound, groovy beats everything needed to take you into a another world back then.

 

Dreamland Track List: 

 

1. Children (Dream version)

2. Favle (Message version)

3. Fantasya

4. Landscape

5. In My Dreams

6. Princess Of light

7. Fable (Dream version)

8. In The Dawn

9. Children (Original version)

10. Red Zone