ROBY CORELLI
Based in Melbourne, Roby graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts where he studied jazz. Roby’s beginnings in Melbourne’s live music scene took shape when he began to explore a diverse range of musical styles, from reggae with Gaia, blues with Bob Thorne and The Blues Bus, electronics with artists Prodosonic and ska with Strange Tenants singer Ian Hern. Roby’s versatility began to be noticed when he was asked to join original alternative rock band DRY, with this new line-up Dry soon signed a recording deal with Mushroom Records. With a deep love of soul music, Roby juggled performing around the country with many of Australia’s soul cover/original bands featuring large horn sections, while developing his “street drumming” and “solid driving groove”. While endorsing Yamaha drums, Roby travelled in 2001 to Japan to visit the Sakae Rhythm factory in Osaka where he began his friendship with the Nakata family. Unfortunately, in 2018 the Sakae factory Roby visited in 2001 would close its doors forever after 93 years. In 2022 Roby begun a new relationship with Ludwig drums in supporting Roby’s love of collecting and playing great sounding drum-kits and snare drums. Roby’s large snare drum collection which includes many Ludwig drums and snare drums has inspired him to develop his ghost note doctrines published in his unique book ‘PHANTOM GROOVE’. Roby’s also has a long-standing relationship with Koide Cymbals from Osaka, Japan. In 2009 he was the first international player outside Japan to endorse the support of craftsman Mr Toshio Koide. In 2023 Roby travelled again to Japan to visit the Koide cymbals factory in Osaka in continuing to grow a close bond with gifted Japanese manufactures. Playing both Ludwig Drums (USA) and Koide Cymbals (Japan) has given Roby the freedom and inspiration to express his own musical journey.
Roby has established a vast range of experience in performing clinics and workshops around Australia, he has directed innumerable large drum ensembles all over the country and has written many articles for Australian music magazines. Roby continues to perform live and in the studio and has worked with many artists including Andrea Marr, Rhonda Burchmore, The Drifters, Guy Sebastian, Normie Rowe, John Forman, Enza Pentano, Rae Valera, Kelly Auty, Mick Pealing, Bobby Bright, Denise Drysdale, Johnny Young, Peter Couples, Jimmy Couples, Max Merritt, Andrew Harrison Quartet, Justin Connor and The Soul Passengers, Steve Boyd Revue, Miss Dorothy, Relax With Max, Reverend Funk, Grand Wazoo, Soul Sushi, Connor / Ryall and Corelli, Deep Blue Day, Marty Kelly and The Weekenders, Jeff Duff, Mae Parker and many more.
Roby’s versatility sees him constantly performing live, recording, teaching and producing a variety of artists in his recording studio.
Toshio Koide is the premier cymbal smith in Japan. The legacy of metal working with his family dates back to the 1940's. The current line-up of the Koide cymbals showcases a different take on cymbal making. Koide Cymbals are distinctive, the results of primarily B23ZT and B21ZFe, which are Koide's patented alloys of Zirconium, Titanium, Iron, and higher Tin to Copper ratios. Each cymbal series is manufactured by methods specific to that series, so each series has unique and distinctly different qualities. Koide still uses his own B20 alloy and traditional hammering methods for his more Turkish sounding 703 cymbal line as well. All of Koide's cymbal blank material is specially produced in Japan for Koide Cymbal Co. by a foundry that specializes in copper-based alloys using highly sophisticated processing techniques to manufacture his proprietary alloys.