Mmotseng Ketshabile, popularly known as Bullet, is a man in demand. The producer whose magic touch has seen groups like Mokorwana, Shumba Ratshega and Tselakgopo rise from obscurity to stardom, is making waves in the big music industry down south.

His work got the attention of South African record label Sunshine Records, owned by Heptor while he was working on Astely Gops' Sebakanyana album.

The 26-year-old Ketshabile says from the day they met, Heptor wanted to work with him at Sunshine Records.

"We have a working agreement. It is not a written agreement, though. What I usually do is bring a group to Sunshine Records and get a percentage from the group. Sunshine Records also pays me a commission for producing the work," he said.

He says that the South African music market is growing by the day, especially in the traditional genre. This, according to Ketshabile owes largely to the influence that Botswana traditional music is having on the South African market. Groups like Culture Spears, Tselakgopo and Shumba have not only been successful in promoting the genre locally but have gone to South Africa and popularised it there. It is commonplace to find people in South Africa singing songs like Culture Spears' Khudu or Shumba Ratshega's Makhirikhiri.

Even the radio stations, like Motsweding FM, for example, do play the Botswana groups' songs. He says this goes to show that the Botswana traditional genre can have a great impact on the global music market.

Since he started working at Sunshine Records, there has an increase in the number of traditional groups in South Africa, all singing in Setswana.

His skillful hands saw him produce groups like Dialogane tsa Thuping and Ngwao ya Chona, some of which have been nominated for SATMA (South African Traditional Music Awards).

His star seems to be rising in South Africa, as he was recently approached by Bujo Mujo who wants him to help produce his (Mujo) next album.

"He told me that he loves my work. He knows my work from the days when I used to session at House Therapy (Bujo Mujo's studio)."

He says that he also worked with Zimbabwe's Joe Maseko, who produces phenomenal traditional group, Culture Spears. Ketshabile says that he is the one who taught Maseko how to produce traditional beats.

"It was in 2002 when I was working on a Thuntsha Dithole album. We found him working on Culture Spears' Mmadikokwana album," he says.

Though he is happy with his achievements, he says he is not amused by the attitude of local musicians, especially those he has worked with, because they are unprofessional and are unwilling to pay for services rendered.

"They also like to create animosity between producers. When they owe you, they would prefer to go and have their next album produced elsewhere and when that producer asks why they came to him, they would malign you, calling you names. It is a silly habit and they should stop it," he said.