Phat-N-Jazzy

Started by Greg Lentz (DJ BMF) and Gerard Mitchell (DJ Slack) at the downtown club Barbarella (now Independent Bar) in 1994, Phat N' Jazzy was designed as an alternative to Orlando's burgeoning rave scene and underage hip-hop parties. The music policy at the time was to provide a platform for acid jazz, trip hop, soulful house music and Native Tongue-style hip-hop. Before long the "alternative" became one of the hottest nights in the city, and as the night grew, Q-Burns Abstract Message (Michael Donaldson) and Pimp Daddy Nash (Jon Curtis) became resident DJs in the back bar. The four DJs would soon join together to form Eighth Dimension Records, an outlet for the original material the crew was starting to produce, and to show the world the real underground sound of Orlando.After over a year of success at Barbarella, the Phat N' Jazzy crew moved to Sapphire Supper Club (now The Social), a venue that featured an impressive stage and an atmosphere suited for the experimental nature of the night. The night began to feature some of the area’s best funk and jazz musicians, who would accompany the DJs while they spun. Before long Phat N' Jazzy also became a tour stop for bands and DJs that were players in the global underground. Groups such as Galactic, Medeski Martin & Wood, and Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings first played at the Phat-n-Jazzy Tuesday night phenomena long before they were recognizable names in the music business. The list of international DJs that have taken the decks reads like a who's who of hip-hop and dance, including such luminaries as DJ Spinna, Questlove, Cut Chemist, Mr Scruff, Mike Relm, DJ Krush, and Mark Farina.