KETTAMA, real name Evan Campbell, is an Irish DJ and music producer from Galway. His music grew out of house culture, but over time absorbed elements of techno, breakbeat, speed garage, trance and classic rave.
KETTAMA is known for high-energy DJ sets and productions that combine hard club rhythms with large emotional chords, vivid vocal samples and euphoric melodies. International recognition came through tracks such as B O D Y, KILT, Raw Cuts, Fly Away XTC, Feeling Emotions, Yosemite, It Gets Better (Forever Mix) and other releases.
Important parts of his career have included his connection with Mall Grab and the Steel City Dance Discs label, as well as his own platform G-TOWN Records, founded with Shampain. In 2025, KETTAMA released his debut studio album Archangel.
Childhood and early musical interests
Evan Campbell was born and raised in Galway on the west coast of Ireland.
As a teenager, his interest in electronic music developed largely through the internet. Galway had relatively few nightlife venues, so Campbell discovered much of his new music through YouTube and SoundCloud.
Among his early influences were Avicii, Oliver Heldens and a broader, more melodic dance sound. Later, he became interested in club sets by Jamie Jones, Jackmaster, Skream, Eats Everything and Seth Troxler.
That early love of big chords and emotional melodies remained part of KETTAMA’s sound even in his hardest and fastest tracks.
First experiments with production
Campbell began making music while still a teenager. At around the age of 16, he bought a Novation Launchpad, which came with a trial version of Ableton Live.
His first attempts were not especially successful, and after a few months he switched to FL Studio. Its simpler interface suited his way of thinking better, and it became KETTAMA’s main production environment.
He spent hours making music on a laptop in his bedroom and gradually began uploading material to SoundCloud. Campbell never built his production process around large numbers of complex plugins: even later in his career, he continued to prefer sampling, simple processing and quickly finding a musical idea that worked.
Early parties in Galway
The early stage of KETTAMA’s career was closely connected to Galway’s local scene.
Before playing clubs, he hosted small parties at home, where he played his own tracks alongside music he had found online. Afterwards, the group would head to local venues such as Carbon or Electric.
In 2016, Campbell began regularly performing with another Galway DJ, Shampain. Under the name VSN, they played a mixture of house and techno and organized their own parties.
This local environment eventually became the foundation for the G-TOWN platform.
Raw Cuts
One of KETTAMA’s early projects was the Raw Cuts series.
These tracks already displayed the main features of his production style: heavy drums, house grooves, old vocal and rave samples, and direct, uncomplicated energy.
Campbell did not try to build an elaborate concept around the music. The main criterion was immediate impact: a track had to work quickly on the dance floor.
Meeting Mall Grab
A key moment in his early career came when he met Australian producer Mall Grab.
Campbell gave him a USB drive containing his music, after which Mall Grab began regularly playing KETTAMA tracks in his own sets.
Support from one of the most visible house producers of the period significantly accelerated the spread of the young Irish producer’s music. B O D Y and other tracks from the future Bucklyn Bridge EP received particularly strong reactions.
Bucklyn Bridge
In 2018, KETTAMA released his debut EP, Bucklyn Bridge, through the New York label Homage.
The release contained three tracks:
- B O D Y;
- KILT;
- KEEP IT REAL.
The EP combined house with hip-hop sampling, dense percussion and old-school rave aesthetics.
B O D Y attracted the most attention, with Mall Grab playing it extensively in clubs and at festivals. The release quickly transformed KETTAMA from a local producer into one of the most notable new names on the Irish electronic music scene.
Breakthrough in 2018–2019
After Bucklyn Bridge, KETTAMA’s music began appearing regularly in the sets of well-known DJs.
Support from Mall Grab, Mella Dee and other artists helped his tracks reach audiences beyond Ireland. By 2019, KETTAMA was already being described by the international club press as one of the most promising young producers.
Subsequent releases appeared on Shall Not Fade, Dance Trax, Madhouse, Mutual Pleasure and other labels.
Eastside Avenue
In 2019, KETTAMA released the Eastside Avenue EP.
By this point, his style was already moving beyond straightforward house. Breakbeat, faster tempos, massive synthesizer parts and elements of 1990s rave culture began appearing more frequently in his productions.
This ability to move freely between house, breaks and techno became one of the defining characteristics of his later work.
Moving to London
During the pandemic, Campbell moved from Ireland to London.
For a period, he lived with Mall Grab. This phase brought KETTAMA even closer to the British club scene and the circle around Steel City Dance Discs.
For Campbell, releasing music on Steel City had long been an important professional goal. The label later became a central part of his career.
Steel City Dance Discs
KETTAMA’s connection with Steel City Dance Discs developed into something much deeper than a typical artist-label relationship.
Through the SCDD team, Campbell met many people across the British electronic music scene, secured new performances and gradually built a stable professional network.
Some of his most important releases later appeared on Steel City, including Fallen Angel and his debut album Archangel.
G-TOWN Records
In 2021, KETTAMA and Shampain founded G-TOWN Records.
The name directly references Galway, the city where both DJs began their careers.
The label was created as an outlet for fast, high-energy electronic music without strict attachment to a single genre. Its catalogue came to include house, techno, breakbeat, trance and other forms of contemporary rave music.
The platform also released music by a new generation of artists, including X CLUB. and Tommy Holohan.
G-TOWN and the Galway scene
For KETTAMA, G-TOWN became a way of maintaining a direct connection with his hometown even after moving to London and developing an international career.
In 2024, KETTAMA and Shampain hosted a major event as part of the Galway International Arts Festival, taking over the Big Top, one of the city’s largest festival venues.
For the local electronic scene, the event became a visible demonstration of how far the project had grown from its beginnings in small Galway club nights.
Fallen Angel
On August 24, 2023, Fallen Angel EP was released through Steel City Dance Discs.
It included:
- Fly Away XTC;
- Fly Away XTC (G-TOWN Mix);
- 1997;
- Feeling Emotions;
- Found My Angel;
- Fallen Angel.
The release revealed a more emotional side of KETTAMA. Hard rhythms and massive bass are paired with trance-like synthesizers, piano and euphoric vocal fragments.
Feeling Emotions
One of the standout tracks from the Fallen Angel period was Feeling Emotions.
The track is built around a recognizable vocal sample and large melodic chords that contrast with the heavy club rhythm.
This balance between emotional melody and the physical energy of the dance floor later became one of the most recognizable elements of KETTAMA’s sound.
Fly Away XTC
Fly Away XTC became one of KETTAMA’s most popular live tracks.
The track combines a fast tempo, powerful kick, trance and rave melodies, and a strong sense of euphoria.
It clearly reflects the producer’s transition from the relatively classic house sound of his early period toward a broader rave model in which techno, garage, trance and breaks can coexist freely within a single set.
Yosemite
In 2024, KETTAMA teamed up with British producer Interplanetary Criminal for Yosemite.
The track combined garage rhythms with KETTAMA’s signature emotional melodic style. It quickly became one of the biggest tracks for both producers and was regularly played at festivals and in DJ sets.
Yosemite later received additional versions and remixes, including a rework by Wilkinson.
Pretty Green Eyes
Another notable release from 2024 was KETTAMA’s version of Pretty Green Eyes.
He reworked the instantly recognizable melody of a British dance classic into his own characteristic club format.
The track became especially popular during summer performances and strengthened his connection with the more melodic and nostalgic side of rave culture.
It Gets Better (Forever Mix)
In 2025, one of KETTAMA’s biggest releases was It Gets Better (Forever Mix).
The track is built around a large emotional melody and a gradually developing rave structure.
It became one of the central tracks of the period leading up to his debut album and clearly demonstrated how important melody and emotional tension had become to KETTAMA, rather than speed and rhythmic force alone.
Amnesia Ibiza
An important stage in KETTAMA’s international career was his residency at Amnesia Ibiza.
He performed there regularly alongside Ben Hemsley, giving him the opportunity to play at the same venue throughout an entire summer season.
Ibiza also influenced his DJ style. After several years in which his sets had become increasingly faster and harder, Campbell began returning more actively to house and longer, more sustained grooves.
The artist himself has emphasized that house has always remained the foundation of his musical thinking despite his interest in techno, garage, trance and hardcore.
Archangel — debut album
On October 3, 2025, KETTAMA released his debut studio album Archangel on Steel City Dance Discs.
The 15-track record brought together different sides of his work, ranging from hard club music to ambient, orchestral influences and tracks with almost no percussion.
The album featured Sølv, seantommy, Interplanetary Criminal, DJ HEARTSTRING, KLP, Prospa, Clouds and other artists.
The tracklist includes:
- Archangel — with Sølv;
- Split in two minds — with seantommy;
- Yosemite — with Interplanetary Criminal;
- Take Me;
- Fade Away (It's a Feeling);
- Man With a Second Face;
- If U Want My Heart — with DJ HEARTSTRING and KLP;
- Do Not Go Gentle;
- 11th of January;
- Air Maxes;
- Gotta Have It;
- I Believe — with Prospa;
- It Gets Better (Forever Mix);
- Air Maxes (KETTAMA Mix);
- Sort It Out — with Clouds.
Another side of KETTAMA
Archangel revealed a side of the artist that had previously been less visible in his festival sets.
Campbell has long been interested in orchestral and cinematic music. One particularly strong emotional influence was the soundtrack to the film Interstellar, which deepened his interest in large-scale harmonies and symphonic sound.
Several tracks on Archangel move almost entirely away from club rhythms. In their place are piano, strings, ambient textures and vocals.
The album therefore showed that KETTAMA’s characteristic “big chords” are not only tools for festival drops, but also an independent part of his musical thinking.
Archangel and commercial success
Archangel became KETTAMA’s largest project up to that point and reached number one on the UK Dance Albums Chart.
For an artist whose career began with self-uploaded SoundCloud tracks and small parties in Galway, the album marked a move to a significantly larger international level.
Coachella, Glastonbury and festival career
By the mid-2020s, KETTAMA was regularly performing at major clubs and festivals.
His touring history came to include Coachella, Glastonbury, Creamfields, Glitch Festival, ARC Music Festival, Tomorrowland and other international events.
B2B sets also hold a special place in his performances. KETTAMA has played alongside Chris Stussy, VTSS, Mall Grab, Prospa, Michael Bibi and other artists.
MYSTERY OF RAW with Michael Bibi
On August 14, 2026, KETTAMA and Michael Bibi released the collaborative single MYSTERY OF RAW through CircoLoco Records.
The track uses material from the Wu-Tang Clan classic Da Mystery of Chessboxin' and combines hip-hop sampling with a hard club groove.
The release followed KETTAMA and Michael Bibi’s first B2B set together at Tomorrowland in the summer of 2026.
KETTAMA’s musical style
KETTAMA’s music is difficult to define through a single genre.
At different stages, his work has included:
- house;
- techno;
- breakbeat;
- speed garage;
- trance;
- hard house;
- rave;
- ambient;
- orchestral and cinematic music.
Despite this stylistic breadth, several techniques remain constant in his productions: massive chords, heavy drums, powerful bass and emotionally expressive vocal samples.
KETTAMA prefers direct, easily understood musical ideas. Rather than turning production into a complex technical showcase, he often builds a track around one strong melody, sample or chord progression.
Production approach
KETTAMA continues to work primarily in FL Studio and maintains a relatively minimalist approach to software.
Campbell sees technical limitations as an advantage: having fewer tools forces him to make decisions faster and focus on the musical idea itself.
Sampling plays a major role. Campbell can build harmonies by changing the pitch of individual samples and does not feel the need to replace this method with more complex studio techniques when the result works emotionally.
KETTAMA’s DJ style
KETTAMA’s sets are known for high energy and fast transitions between genres.
House can move into breakbeat, speed garage, techno or trance before the set returns again to a more groove-driven sound.
His club approach has evolved alongside his career. While his sets became increasingly fast in the early 2020s, extended periods performing in Ibiza brought the house element back more strongly.
The main principle remains the emotional and physical reaction of the audience rather than strict adherence to the boundaries of any one genre.
SoundCloud and connection with the audience
SoundCloud played an important role in KETTAMA’s career.
His earliest tracks spread through the platform, while its comments, reposts and direct messages helped him gradually build a community of listeners before major labels and festivals entered the picture.
Campbell continues to emphasize the importance of direct communication with his audience and tries not to create unnecessary distance between artist and listener.
His RAW CUTZ DIARIES video diaries serve the same purpose, showing KETTAMA’s touring life away from the stage.
KETTAMA discography
Studio albums
2025 — Archangel
Debut album combining house, techno, garage, trance, ambient and orchestral influences.
Selected EPs and major releases
2018 — Bucklyn Bridge
Debut EP featuring B O D Y, KILT and KEEP IT REAL.
2019 — Eastside Avenue
2021 — Steel City Dance Discs Volume 26
2023 — Fallen Angel EP
KETTAMA and the contemporary Irish electronic scene
KETTAMA’s career is closely connected with the development of a new generation of Irish club music.
He began in a city with limited nightlife opportunities, distributed music through SoundCloud and small online communities, and later reached the international stage without losing his connection to Galway.
G-TOWN Records, joint events with Shampain and participation in the Galway International Arts Festival mean that KETTAMA can be viewed not only as an internationally successful Irish artist, but also as one of the musicians continuing to develop the local scene.
By the mid-2020s, KETTAMA had grown from a young house producer whose tracks circulated through SoundCloud and USB drives into an international artist with his own label, an Ibiza residency, major festival appearances and a debut album.
At the same time, the foundation of his approach has remained largely unchanged: a simple but powerful musical idea, a large emotional melody and a rhythm designed above all to trigger an immediate response on the dance floor.
