Young Guns Kettama and Hemsley Fire Up Ibiza 2025
As Ibiza stands on the cusp of a new era in its rich clubbing heritage, the next wave of DJ talent will break upon the island’s shores. Amnesia, which has been under heavy enemy fire from the brand new hyper club UNVRS, has counterattacked with the signing of two rising stars of the TikTok generation. Irishman Evan Campbell, aka Kettama and Englishman Ben Hemsley, will host a brand new residency at Amnesia on Monday nights this season.
It’s easily the most eye-catching party on the Amnesia calendar and could be a defining moment for club culture on the island. Amnesia was forced to bring in new talent after the defection of its flagship party, ELROW, to UNVRS alongside other absent headliners such as Jamie Jones, Sonny Fedora and Joseph Caprati. What sets this party apart from all others is its potential to freshen up the scene on the island with a new generation of clubbers who will hopefully value the music and human interaction alongside the technological experience.
Both DJs haven’t reached their dirty thirties yet. This is an essential factor to consider, as across the road at UNVRS, the average DJ age is 48. The two big headliners at UNVRS, David Guetta and Carl Cox, are 57 and 62, the parental generation of Hemsley and Campbell. What does this say about the health of the clubbing scene in Ibiza? In my opinion, the Ibiza scene has stagnated since Solomun shook things up back in 2012. The same predictable, computer-generated music by numbers produced to complement visuals and production values rather than the party vibe has become the norm alongside pre recorded sets.
Since Camelphats Cola was released six years ago, has there been a track released that defined the Ibiza summer? There is a lack of creativity in dance music production these days. Yes, many parties at HI and Ushuaia have that wow factor, but having experienced them once or twice, the novelty wears off. However, in the Ibiza tourist market, where clubbers predominantly only visit the island once a year, that is not such a problem for the clubs, which enjoy a significant turnover of unique visitors weekly. However, Ushuaia Entertainment holds a tightening grip on the Ibiza club scene. They now have a new Hyperclub of 8000 capacity to fill, so they will be chasing a greater market share, leaving other clubs to fight over the scraps.
What’s interesting about the booking of Kettama and Hemsley is their sound. While Hemsley is more mainstream and trance-driven, Kettama is edgy and raw. His high-energy, freestyle sets feature many samples from classic Ibiza tracks, dropped over big baselines and breakbeats with drum and bass, which is popular with the 18 to 30 age group in his home country of Ireland, where other young artists like Kneecap and The Fontains DC are releasing some edgy tracks reflecting liberal political and cultural views. They are rebelling against the status quo like our generation did when the acid house and techno scene emerged in the late 80s and ’90s. But they are also happy to crossover to the stadium artists, which underlines their fickle nature. They are panmusical.
Inspired Signing.
After two successful residencies at Ibiza Rocks, Hemsley has already been courted by The Night League, which has booked him to play at the Hi Opening party this year. I predict the same invitation will be sent to Kettama when Ibiza gets to feel his music and energy in his debut season at Amnesia. Kettama has the potential to become the next Jamie Jones if he can safely navigate the shark-infested waters of Ibiza Clubland. Hemsley and Kettama are a good contrast, playing together on the Amnesia Terrace for 16 Mondays, opening on June 23 and closing on October 6.
It’s an inspired signing by Amnesia; my only criticism is why they didn’t schedule the party for a Saturday night, considering the youth market revolves around the weekends. Fisher and Elrow are the vulnerable underbelly of the UNVRS calendar, so I would play my strongest cards on Saturday night. Take Amnesia Presents, Pyramid and Resistance, run them over the weekend and close down the club for the weekdays, except for a select few one-off parties like Godskitchen and Kevin and Perry, and the club may weather the UNVRS storm. Guerrilla warfare is the most effective tactic when battling Empires.
The island needs Amnesia to survive, and their best option is to invest in the youth market. However, that will be difficult as Ushuaia Entertainment will always prowl like a wolf outside their door to snatch any prized possessions. Hemsley and Kettama are stepping up onto the big stage. Nobody will want to see them manipulated and go down the Avicii path, but it will be difficult not to be assimilated into the corporate machine.
My advice to any young artist starting a DJ career in Ibiza would be not to allow the industry to homogenise you. Trust nobody. Remain a rebel, be authentic, remember where you came from, and value musical integrity, as it is priceless. Then Ibiza will connect with you and open doors you never knew existed.
The new generation, which decides the future of dance music culture on the island, will have a choice of two pills: the Blue pill of the simulated matrix or the Red pill of substance and reality. They are the offspring of the E generation. Have we educated them enough to choose wisely?
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