Kettama

Kettama Artistfacts

  • May 30, 1997
  • Kettama is the project of Galway-born DJ and producer Evan Campbell, whose high-energy mix of house, garage, trance, and rave music has made him one of Ireland's standout electronic artists. Built around heavy drums, piano hooks, and old-school rave stabs, his tracks reflect the local nightlife culture he grew up in.
  • He got his start at 17, DJing alongside close friend and fellow Irish DJ Shampain in the back room of Galway's now-defunct Carbon club. By 20, he was regularly uploading tracks online and testing them out live on local dance floors.
  • Before making a name for himself in Dublin, Kettama got an unexpected international break in China. A promoter who discovered his SoundCloud tracks booked him for four shows across Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Hangzhou, a request Kettama assumed was an internet scam. He didn't play his first official Dublin show after returning home from Asia.
  • Kettama's breakout came in 2018 with the track "B.O.D.Y.," which spread by word-of-mouth after Australian producer Mall Grab began spinning the unreleased track in his sets.
  • Kettama keeps his studio process straightforward. "I wish I could go on and on for hours about my modular this and that, but it's just not like that," he told Beatportal. "I sit down and whatever comes out, comes out."
  • In 2021, Kettama and Shampain co-founded G-Town Records, launching with Kettama's three-track EP G-Town 001. The label's name comes from local Galway slang. "We used to say, 'Are you going out G-Town?' when you're 15, getting a can or whatever," Kettama explained to The Irish Times. "It was ironic."
  • Kettama relocated to London in 2021 to accommodate a booming UK tour schedule and escape Ireland's limited late-night club infrastructure. Contrasting the two scenes, he noted: "There are 89 clubs that have dance floors in the whole of Ireland. There's probably 89 in East London."
  • After years of EPs and single releases, Kettama dropped his debut studio album, Archangel, in 2025. Rather than stepping away from club culture for a full-length project, he quickly followed it with Archangel (DJ Mix), describing it as "an amalgamation of the clubbier bits from the album" and the tracks shaping his Ibiza sets.
  • Outside of music, Kettama briefly made the tabloids in 2024 when he was linked to English model Lottie Moss (half-sister of Kate Moss). The pair made a public appearance together at a London clothing launch in June before Moss confirmed on social media that they had split that September.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Amy Lee of Evanescence

Amy Lee of EvanescenceSongwriter Interviews

The Evanescence frontwoman on the songs that have shifted meaning and her foray into kids' music.

Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds

Jim McCarty of The YardbirdsSongwriter Interviews

The Yardbirds drummer explains how they created their sound and talks about working with their famous guitarists.

Bass Player Scott Edwards

Bass Player Scott EdwardsSong Writing

Scott was Stevie Wonder's bass player before becoming a top session player. Hits he played on include "I Will Survive," "Being With You" and "Sara Smile."

P.F. Sloan

P.F. SloanSongwriter Interviews

P.F. was a teenager writing hits and playing on tracks for Jan & Dean when he wrote a #1 hit that got him blackballed.

John Doe of X

John Doe of XSongwriter Interviews

With his X-wife Exene, John fronts the band X and writes their songs.

Commercials

CommercialsFact or Fiction

Was "Ring Of Fire" really used to sell hemorrhoid cream?