Premiere: Awesome Tapes From Africa unveils the classic house of Professor Rhythm

Awesome Tapes From Africa introduces us to the classic house grooves of Professor Rhythm, a South African producer named Thami Mdluli who developed his own distinct style during the 80s and 90s.

Beginning his career as a member of chart-topping bubblegum pop groups Taboo and CJB in the 1980s, Mdluli's skills as a musician soon caught the attention of many others in the scene and he became a highly sought after producer. When working on albums for the likes of Sox and Sensations, as well as being an in-house producer for influential record labels like Eric Frisch and Tusk, Mdluli would include an instrumental of his own on each release. These tracks soon grew in popularity and out of a high demand from his fans, he decided to release solo instrumental albums in 1985 as Professor Rhythm.

Now with the help of Awesome Tapes From Africa, Professor Rhythm's album 'Bafana Bafana' is given new life. Originally released in 1995, the material includes eight tracks focusing on kwaito, a genre that emerged in South Africa that fuses house rhythms with African textures. Today these tracks sound as relevant as ever and undoubtedly work magic on the dancefloor.

Listen to 'Leave Me Alone' below and look for 'Bafana Bafana' to be released October 20. Purchase here

Harrison is Mixmag's East Coast Editor. Follow him on Twitter here