--- title: "KETTAMA: Real Name, Age & Where He's From (Galway)" description: "KETTAMA is Evan Campbell, born 30 May 1997 in Galway, Ireland, so he is 29. His genre, tattoos, the Archangel album and his sold-out WHP date." author: "MNEEMO (Yaroslav Gorovoy)" section: "Scene" published: "2026-02-20T00:00:00Z" modified: "2026-09-25T21:13:21Z" canonical: "https://www.mneemo.com/blog/kettama-image-persona-before-music/" --- # KETTAMA: Real Name, Age & Where He's From (Galway) _KETTAMA is Evan Campbell, born 30 May 1997 in Galway, Ireland, so he is 29. His genre, tattoos, the Archangel album and his sold-out WHP date._ ![KETTAMA wearing a black beanie and sunglasses, standing against a dark wall. Tattoos visible on the body, with a serious expression.](https://www.mneemo.com/assets/blog/kettama-image-persona-before-music/hero.jpg?v=bc14be4b) **KETTAMA is Evan Campbell, an Irish DJ and producer from Galway, born 30 May 1997 and now 29, based in London since 2021 and known for hard, chord-heavy house and his debut album Archangel, which went to No. 1 on the UK Official Dance Albums Chart in October 2025.** His next big UK date is Friday 6 November 2026, when KETTAMA presents Steel City Dance Discs at The Warehouse Project in Manchester, a show that has sold out. He became one of the most recognisable figures in electronic music before most people had heard a full track of his. Here is how his name travelled faster than his music, why fans recognise him before they press play, and what his image actually signals. - **Real name:** Evan Campbell. KETTAMA, always in capitals, is his artist name. - **Age:** 29, born 30 May 1997. He turns 30 on 30 May 2027. - **Where he is from:** Galway, on the west coast of Ireland. He is Irish and has lived in London since 2021. - **Genre:** house at the core, played hard and emotional, with techno and trance in the mix. Dazed described his style in 2023 as "hard-hitting" and "house-adjacent", and he told them he was drawn to house because he "always liked chords, piano, stabs". - **Tattoos:** part of a fixed look with long hair, a black tank top and sunglasses. He told Mixmag in September 2025 that his tattoos "look hard" but that underneath he loves orchestral music. - **Vocals:** on his debut album, every credited vocal is by a guest. The Archangel credits list vocals by Sølv, seantommy, KLP, Shady Nasty and Maurice Santiago, with KETTAMA on keys, synths, drum programming and songwriting. - **Label and album:** co-founder of G-Town Records with Shampain, whose first release came out in April 2021; debut album Archangel, Steel City Dance Discs, 3 October 2025. - **Next date:** KETTAMA presents Steel City Dance Discs, Depot Mayfield, The Warehouse Project, Manchester, Friday 6 November 2026, 19:00 to 04:00, sold out. ## Who is KETTAMA? **KETTAMA's real name is Evan Campbell.** He was born on 30 May 1997 in Galway, a city of roughly 80,000 people on the Atlantic coast of the Republic of Ireland. He is currently 29 years old and has been based in London since 2021, when he moved during the COVID pandemic, driven by the volume of his UK bookings while Irish clubs were still in lockdown. He performs and records under the name KETTAMA, always stylised in all caps. His collaborative aliases include Samba Boys with Tommy Holohan and KETBOI69 with Partiboi69. ![KETTAMA wearing a black beanie and sunglasses, standing against a dark wall. Tattoos visible on the body, with a serious expression.](https://www.mneemo.com/assets/blog/kettama-image-persona-before-music/img-01.jpg?v=bc14be4b) *FIG. 02 · KETTAMA.* ## What does KETTAMA mean and why is he called KETTAMA? KETTAMA is Evan Campbell's artist name and brand identity, used since his early SoundCloud uploads. We have not found an interview in which he explains where the name comes from. Like many electronic music aliases, the name functions as the professional identity rather than as a reference to external meaning. In the current UK and Irish club scene, the name carries its own cultural weight that the origin no longer depends on. ## The look that made KETTAMA stick KETTAMA's hype did not begin with a viral tune. It began when his image stopped being generic and became disciplined. Black tank tops. Baseball caps and black skull caps. Long hair. Dark glasses. Sunglasses permanently on. A permanent "lad" silhouette that feels closer to a football terrace than a fashion shoot. ![KETTAMA Real Name Evan Campbell in a white tank top shows off grills, smiling with eyes closed. He's seated, with colorful wristbands and trailer in the background.](https://www.mneemo.com/assets/blog/kettama-image-persona-before-music/img-02.jpg?v=82697349) *FIG. 03 · KETTAMA, real name Evan Campbell.* There is nothing ironic about it. No luxury codes, no designer signalling, no curated mystery. The look is deliberately repetitive, almost stubborn. That is exactly why it works. Beer appears constantly in his content. Not as a flex, but as background noise. Mixmag summed up his social media in 2025 as the place where "gains, Guinness and Monster Energy collide". He does not present himself above the crowd or outside the scene. He positions himself firmly inside it. At some point, this visual language became strict. And when that happened, the name KETTAMA started travelling faster than the music. ## KETTAMA tattoos and personal aesthetic KETTAMA's tattoos have become a recognisable part of his visual identity, visible across his press photography, music videos and live performance imagery. Combined with the signature long hair, black tank top, baseball cap or skull cap, and permanent sunglasses, the tattoos form part of a consistent body-and-image code. He told Mixmag in September 2025 that his tattoos "look hard" while he is, in his words, soft underneath and a fan of orchestral music. The look has sharpened over time: Mixmag noted that the fade mullet and baggy T-shirt of his first Boiler Room had given way to long hair and a skin-tight black tank top, and he said he was about 15kg heavier back then. The image is not a rebrand. It is a refined version of what was already there. ## Why KETTAMA's image works culturally KETTAMA's "lad energy" taps directly into UK and Irish club culture. It signals physical presence, lack of pretence, proximity to real life, and a refusal to sanitise excess. In a scene increasingly split between hyper-polished DJs and faceless minimalism, KETTAMA lands in a third space. Human, sweaty, slightly reckless, instantly readable. People trust images before they trust sound. Recognition comes before listening. By the time someone presses play on a KETTAMA track, they already feel like they know who he is. Mixmag reported in 2025 that he bristles at the idea of being "a lad". The image reads that way regardless. ## How KETTAMA got famous Once the visual identity locked in, the ecosystem did the rest. KETTAMA's breakthrough track "B O D Y" was released in 2018 on the Bucklyn Bridge EP via New York label Homage Records. KETTAMA handed Mall Grab a USB while the Australian DJ was touring Ireland, and Mall Grab picked the track up while it was still unreleased, creating the first wave of international attention. Mall Grab's repeated club play of "B O D Y" created the initial hype that turned KETTAMA from a Galway-based bedroom producer into a name being discussed across UK, European and American electronic music circuits. ![KETTAMA Real Name Evan Campbell with dark hair and tattoos, wearing a black shirt and earrings, is shown in two identical portrait photos against a white background.](https://www.mneemo.com/assets/blog/kettama-image-persona-before-music/img-03.jpg?v=d13bd2b8) *FIG. 04 · KETTAMA.* [Boiler Room](https://www.mneemo.com/blog/boiler-room-history-blaise-bellville-superstruct-2026/) appearances turned KETTAMA into a shared reference point. Those sets circulate far beyond people actively following his releases. Clips travel without context, but the name sticks. High-profile collaborations, including the connection with Fred again.. on the Archangel album, pushed his name into spaces where club music is discussed more than it is deeply consumed. Festival lineups function as advertising. People scan posters the way they scroll feeds. Add to that his RAW CUTZ DIARIES content, which keeps him present between releases, and the result is predictable. KETTAMA feels omnipresent even when you are not listening. ## When did KETTAMA start making music? **KETTAMA started making music at the age of 16** when he bought a Launchpad controller that came with a trial version of Ableton Live. He began by experimenting, remaking elements including the piano from Tyga's "I'm Different." Within six months he had switched to a cracked version of FL Studio, which he found more intuitive for his sample-based workflow, and began uploading tracks to SoundCloud. **KETTAMA started DJing at age 17**, holding down the back room of the now-closed Galway club Carbon alongside close friend and ongoing collaborator Shampain. He continued playing Carbon until around age 20, building his sound inside the restrictions of Ireland's early-closing club licensing culture, which arguably shaped the heavyweight party attitude that defines his tracks. In 2021 he moved to London during the COVID pandemic, shared a flat with Mall Grab, and was taken under the wing of Steel City Dance Discs, the label that later released his album. ## KETTAMA's Archangel album explained KETTAMA's debut album Archangel was released on 3 October 2025 on Steel City Dance Discs. It went to No. 1 on the UK Official Dance Albums Chart, No. 43 on the Official Albums Chart and No. 6 in Ireland, and features collaborations including "Air Maxes" with Fred again.. and Shady Nasty. Archangel arrived as a broad, high-energy statement rather than a delicate artistic manifesto. Trance, hard house, techno, euphoric club references, all stacked together without apology. The record plays like a set. Peaks, chaos, emotion, release. It mirrors the KETTAMA persona rather than contradicting it. Some listeners arrive late to Archangel. But by the time they do, the context is already built. They do not listen cold. They listen convinced the album matters. ## G-Town Records: KETTAMA's label KETTAMA co-founded G-Town Records with Shampain, whose real name is Cóilí Collins and who is also from Galway. The label name is a reference to "G-Town," a colloquial nickname for Galway often associated with underage drinkers. A self-released download, G-Town Club Trax 001, came out in 2019, but the label's first release proper was G-TOWN 001, a three-track KETTAMA EP on limited 12-inch vinyl, on 9 April 2021, with the tracks "We Plant The Roses," "5 Pound Spesh," and "Ski Mask." G-Town Records has since expanded into a full independent platform for underground Irish and international talent, with KETTAMA using it to release his own hard-hitting dancefloor material alongside artists he champions. ## Why the KETTAMA phenomenon is not accidental hype This is not luck and not a single moment going viral. It is coherence. The look, the behaviour, the content, the bookings, the interviews, the music. Nothing cancels anything else out. Everything points in the same direction. KETTAMA did not just release tracks. He released a figure people could recognise in half a second. ![KETTAMA Real Name Evan Campbell in oversized suit adjusting tie, looking thoughtful. Black-and-white image with a neutral studio background.](https://www.mneemo.com/assets/blog/kettama-image-persona-before-music/img-04.jpg?v=68eb247a) *FIG. 05 · KETTAMA, suited up.* That is why so many people know the name KETTAMA before they know the music. And that is why, once they finally listen, it already feels established. In 2026, that is not a flaw in the system. That is the system working exactly as designed. Archangel went to No. 1 on the UK Official Dance Albums Chart in October 2025, which confirms what the numbers already knew. The image built the audience. The music earned the loyalty. For more on the current UK electronic scene where KETTAMA operates, see the [analysis of UK garage's 2026 mutation](https://www.mneemo.com/blog/mneemo-uk-garage-2026-never-left-just-faster/), the [Interplanetary Criminal case study on making UK garage safe again](https://www.mneemo.com/blog/interplanetary-criminal-uk-garage-safe-again/), and the [Silva Bumpa profile on quiet UK garage dominance](https://www.mneemo.com/blog/silva-bumpa-quietly-took-over-uk-garage-sets/). ## FAQ ### What is KETTAMA's real name? KETTAMA's real name is Evan Campbell. He was born on 30 May 1997 in Galway, Ireland, and performs professionally under the stylised all-caps name KETTAMA. ### Where is KETTAMA from? KETTAMA is from Galway, a city on the Atlantic coast of the Republic of Ireland. He was raised in Galway and later relocated to London, United Kingdom, in 2021 during the COVID pandemic. He remains connected to his Galway roots through G-Town Records and hometown shows, including the Big Top at Galway International Arts Festival in 2023 and 2024. ### Is KETTAMA Irish? Yes. KETTAMA is Irish. He was born Evan Campbell in Galway on 30 May 1997 and grew up there before moving to London in 2021. ### How old is KETTAMA? KETTAMA is 29 years old. He was born on 30 May 1997, so he turned 29 on 30 May 2026. ### Why is KETTAMA called KETTAMA? KETTAMA is Evan Campbell's chosen artist name, used since his early SoundCloud uploads. We have not found an interview in which he explains where the name comes from. Like many DJ aliases, the name operates as the professional identity rather than as a reference to external meaning. ### When did KETTAMA start making music? KETTAMA started making music at age 16, using a Launchpad controller with a trial version of Ableton Live. Within six months he had switched to FL Studio and began uploading tracks to SoundCloud. He began DJing publicly at age 17 in the back room of Galway club Carbon alongside long-time collaborator Shampain. ### How did KETTAMA get famous? KETTAMA's breakthrough came with the 2018 release of "B O D Y" on the Bucklyn Bridge EP via Homage Records. Mall Grab played the track while it was still unreleased, creating the first wave of international attention. Subsequent Boiler Room appearances, festival bookings, and the Archangel album on Steel City Dance Discs in October 2025 consolidated his position as one of the most recognisable figures in current electronic music. ### What label is KETTAMA signed to? KETTAMA releases his own material through G-Town Records, the label he co-founded with Galway collaborator Shampain (Cóilí Collins), whose first release came out in April 2021. His 2025 debut album Archangel was released on Steel City Dance Discs. ### Why does KETTAMA wear sunglasses and tank tops? KETTAMA's visual code of sunglasses, black tank tops, baseball caps and skull caps, long hair, and visible tattoos is a deliberate, disciplined personal style that has become part of his artist identity. The look signals physical presence, lack of pretence and proximity to UK and Irish club culture. The consistency of the image is part of why KETTAMA became recognisable before his music reached a wide audience. ### What collaborations has KETTAMA done? KETTAMA has released material under collaborative aliases including Samba Boys with Tommy Holohan and KETBOI69 with Partiboi69. His debut album Archangel features "Air Maxes" with Fred again.. and Shady Nasty and "Yosemite" with Interplanetary Criminal. Mall Grab was his earliest big champion, and in summer 2025 he played his first back-to-back with [Chris Stussy](https://www.mneemo.com/blog/chris-stussy-uss-pacha-underground-house-ibiza-2026/) (now Chris Stassy) in front of a 20,000-strong crowd at Ormeau Park in Belfast. ### Does KETTAMA play Dublin and Ireland shows? Yes. He has played Life Festival in County Westmeath, the Big Top at Galway International Arts Festival, and Ormeau Park and the Limelight in Belfast. His connection to the Irish scene is foundational to his identity, with G-Town Records putting out Irish artists such as Tommy Holohan alongside his own releases. ### What genre is KETTAMA? House at the core, played hard and emotional, with techno and trance in the mix. Dazed described his style in 2023 as "hard-hitting" and "house-adjacent", and he told them he started out DJing techno but was drawn to house because he "always liked chords, piano, stabs". In Mixmag's September 2025 cover feature he named his strong points as "the big chords and vocals". ### Does KETTAMA do his own vocals? Not on his debut album, going by its credits. The Archangel credits give the vocals to guest singers: Sølv on the title track, seantommy on "Split in Two Minds", KLP on "Fade Away (It's a Feeling)" and "If U Want My Heart", Shady Nasty on "Air Maxes" and Maurice Santiago on "It Gets Better (Forever Mix)", while "Yosemite" samples Delline Bass's vocal from Reflekt's "Need to Feel Loved". KETTAMA is credited on keys, synths, drum programming and songwriting. He told Dazed in 2023 that when a track of his uses a talking vocal, it is normally sampled from old Irish television. ### Is KETTAMA touring the UK in 2026? Yes. KETTAMA presents Steel City Dance Discs takes over The Warehouse Project in Manchester on Friday 6 November 2026, a show that sold out, and his Resident Advisor page lists US festival and club dates through the autumn. The Manchester date is in the November 2026 club calendar. ## Sources - **Mixmag:** "KETTAMA: The DJ Of The Moment", cover feature by Tibor Heskett, 29 September 2025 (real name, Launchpad and FL Studio start, tattoos quote, Mall Grab, Ormeau Park B2B, G-Town Records). - **Dazed:** interview by Justin Kendall, 10 July 2023 (style, "chords, piano, stabs", talking vocals from Irish television). - **Beatportal:** "Introducing: KETTAMA", 27 September 2021 (Galway, Carbon, Homage Records, move to London, G-Town name). - **The Irish Times:** interview by Una Mullally, 24 June 2024 (Life Festival, first G-Town release in spring 2021, Galway International Arts Festival). - **Official Charts Company:** KETTAMA chart history (Archangel: No. 1 Official Dance Albums Chart, No. 43 Official Albums Chart, No. 6 Irish Albums Chart). - **Discogs:** G-Town Club Trax 001 (2019, self-released) and G-TOWN 001 (G-Town Records, 9 April 2021). - **The Warehouse Project:** KETTAMA presents Steel City Dance Discs event page, 6 November 2026. - **Wikipedia:** KETTAMA and Archangel (birth date, album credits). *For another study in image-led rollout, see how Drake built the *[Iceman](https://www.mneemo.com/blog/drake-iceman-rollout-toronto-ice-structure/)* campaign around a giant ice structure.* *This editorial is part of House of MNEEMO's ongoing coverage of the electronic and club music scene, written by London-based DJ and producer MNEEMO, millions of streams to his name and a party series running through some of London's best clubs. Listen to MNEEMO: *[Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/artist/6CRfFz4vqaUMRUsnUackyP)* · *[Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/mneemo/)* · *[YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@MNEEMO) --- Source: https://www.mneemo.com/blog/kettama-image-persona-before-music/ · © HOUSE OF MNEEMO. Written by MNEEMO (Yaroslav Gorovoy).