Before nightlife became content. Before every party needed a phone in the air. There were DJs who built nights people still talk about decades later.

In Tampa, one of those names is DJ Fader. For over 40 years, Fader has been one of the defining sounds of the city’s underground scene — moving from legendary spots like Masquerades to culture nights like Old Dirty Sundays, and now helping shape the vibe at Velvet Gypsy with an adult-themed hip-hop party built for grown folks who still love the culture.

This isn’t just a DJ story. This is Tampa nightlife history.

The Early Years

Take us back to the beginning — what first got you into DJing in Tampa?

At approximately age 15, I was introduced to tapes of The Latin Rascals and Marley Marl through a mutual friend that I met at school. We were both into BMX, so we clicked. At the time, I didn’t have any intentions on becoming a DJ, but I studied those mixes and was fascinated to hear the way the songs were mixed.

We started going to the local skating rink and I would instantly start comparing what I was hearing to those tapes — the styles of DJing, the different types of music, everything. It was all being thrown at me at once.

Then I met J Slice, who was a DJ for a local but becoming very popular rap group in the area called the Dedicated Brothers. He would allow me to watch him cut it up in his garage, and that really solidified it.

Through the friendships I had created at the skating rink and local teen clubs, I met somebody who quit early in their journey to become a DJ. They gave me all their gear and two crates of records. The rest is history.

“I didn’t have any intentions on becoming a DJ, but I studied those mixes and was fascinated to hear the way the songs were mixed.”

The Masquerade Era

What was the Masquerades era like?

Masquerade was definitely a moment, not just for me, but for Tampa. Prior to that historical Saturday night, I had been working the club scene in not only Tampa, but surrounding cities like St. Pete and Clearwater for the better part of 1990 to 1996 before the party at Masquerade, which started in late 1996.

The hip-hop scene that consisted of fans who liked rap music from places outside of the South was small, and word got around quickly. We had parties, but they were in smaller venues, and nine out of ten times the only nights we could get were Wednesday or Sunday.

So getting a weekend night was unthinkable. Getting a weekend night in Ybor, on the corner of 15th and 7th, in a historical venue, on a Saturday night was not even imaginable.

We started in the smallest of three rooms, and within months moved to the second and larger room. But we quickly outgrew that room and eventually moved into the main room, or theatre, now known as The Ritz.

The hip-hop night at Masquerade changed everything. You really had to live here and be in the scene to see the impact it had. It was the very first all-hip-hop night on a weekend — Friday or Saturday — on 7th Ave in Ybor City.

“The hip-hop night at Masquerade changed everything.”

What records always shut the club down?

Man, there were so many songs and artists that made the club go nuts. A Tribe Called Quest always worked well. Mobb Deep, Nas, M.O.P., KRS-One — the list goes on.

You have to keep in mind there was nothing like this prior. Those smaller parties that were happening before Masquerade were just a handful of our friends, nowhere near the masses I had flocking to The Masq. So the crowds were hyped just hearing so many songs and artists they were not hearing anywhere else other than mixtapes.

To see 1,000 people in a venue in Tampa in the mid-90s going crazy to not only those common artists, but also to stuff like Blahzay Blahzay, Jeru, Smooth Da Hustler, and Boot Camp, was crazy — especially when every club, DJ, and promoter in the area said that shit wouldn’t work in Tampa.

One of the most memorable artist moments was breaking 50 Cent. At the time, I was still getting serviced by labels, and even though I was already playing stuff off Power of the Dollar, when “In Da Club” dropped, it was pandemonium.

That was maybe the first time I ever pulled a song back to the top because I felt as if I didn’t, the crowd would riot.

Tampa Nightlife History

How has Tampa’s underground nightlife changed over the last 30 years?

Sadly, I don’t think an underground scene even exists anymore — or at least not to what we experienced up until the early 2000s. Tampa had a vibrant underground scene, whether you were looking for a hip-hop function or a rave. We had a lot of dope stuff to do back then.

It’s hard to speak on today’s scene because I’m much older and don’t really get out there like I used to. I’m sure there are some dope functions being thrown, but the times are much different with the advancement of phones and technology.

Everybody wants to be seen now, for example, and that takes away from the mystique of it. Back then, you had to be there to know.

In the hip-hop scene, it seems like every local artist showcase featuring underground or up-and-coming artists only brings out the artists. You go to an event and there are no more fans. Everybody is involved in some way, shape, or form.

“Back then, you had to be there to know.”

What made the city unique compared to other markets?

I think Tampa is unique in many ways because its a melting pot with people who have been moving here for decades from other places. Everybody here has grown up with somebody who’s from another place and has been influenced by them and vice versa.

What parties still stand out as legendary nights?

Truthfully when it comes to a Hip Hop or Dj focused party nothing has stood out culturally since Masquerades other than Ol Dirty Sundays, You had some other parties that come to mind like Filthy Richard for example but that kinda leaned more on the Indie Dance and Elect Pop scene.

Old Dirty Sundays

How did Old Dirty Sundays become such a cultural moment?

Old Dirty Sundays brought together so many people. It was exactly what the city had been missing. A great venue, outdoors, amazing DJs from not only here in Tampa, but also guest DJs from around the country who would come and be shocked at the reaction and support from people here in Tampa.

So many DJs had come through and were blown away at the love Tampa showed them that it was getting back to other DJs in other cities, who were lining up for a chance to come here and play.

Why do you think people connected so deeply with that party?

I think it was a combination of things. You had a lot of people who had moved to Tampa since the days of Masquerade, and the city really didn’t have a consistent party that played music that wasn’t exclusively down South music.

So many different styles and genres of music were being introduced to people, while also causing a lot of people to reminisce about their times growing up in other markets.

There are so many transplants and people who moved here that wanted something different they could relate to. So when they came out and saw the art, the dancers, guest DJs they had grown up listening to or never heard before, and everybody was partying and having a blast, it became a melting pot for so much talent.

There are a lot of crews and factions locally that would have never even met or collaborated if it weren’t for Old Dirty Sundays. It truly ushered in a new movement in Tampa, and I’m truly grateful to have been a part of it.

Considering what I had done years prior and been through, it was very fitting for me and truthfully inspired me at a time when I was ready to call it quits.

“Old Dirty Sundays brought together so many people. It was exactly what the city had been missing.”

Velvet Gypsy / Current Era

Talk about the adult-themed hip-hop party at Velvet Gypsy — what makes it different?

Retro Velvet came about while I was promoting the Masquerade Reunion party. I was honestly thinking about how there used to be grown and sexy parties a lot back in the day, but you had to get dressed up and most of the time the music was just old-school R&B.

I wanted to do a party that would attract and bring out an older hip-hop audience, but I didn’t want to call it an old-school party or throwback. Throwback parties are becoming so cliché, and most of the DJs doing them were not even DJs — or DJing the music they are playing — when it came out.

They just go download the top 100 or top 50 songs of the 2000s, for example, and all you hear are chart-topping songs.

So once I came up with the name, I just ran with the theme: “A Party Curated For The Adult Hip-Hop Fan.” It tells you exactly what to expect, but also keeps the door open if I wanted to play something new off a De La Soul album or some current music from some of the older artists, as long as it was relatable to the audience.

What does a grown-up hip-hop crowd want today?

Truthfully, I couldn’t tell you. Lol. I just try to do my best to keep a mixture of familiarity and songs that may not have been as big and successful, but had a huge impact on the culture.

How do you balance nostalgia with current energy?

Keeping a balance is one of the most challenging things these days. Knowing what the crowd wants is harder than ever with so much music at our fingertips. You can never tell because some of the younger generation depending on parent’s and how they were raised know all the classics so you can’t rule out playing old school stuff for a younger crowd, but how much you play is key.

Then you have the younger generation that doesn’t accept anything older than 5 years or less or wants to hear the same stuff being played on the radio 50 times per day. It’s a never ending struggle in the booth trying to please everybody. I personally have tried to steer clear from those younger environments and focus on parties that attract a more adult and likeminded crowd that appreciates the 40 years of experience I have with Hip Hop, R&B, Freestyle, Funk, and Post Disco for example.

A perfect example is my current weekly Cosmic Boogie at Orbit 19 Lounge which unfortunately is about 45 minutes outside of Tampa but I’ve been there 14 years now and I rotate between vinyl and digital playing a wide range of music that is inspired by Funk and Disco, but that doesn’t rule out the fact you may still hear some early 2000’s + Hip Hop and R&B, I just keep it more upbeat and stay away from the current trend of slower trap tempo music for example.

After 40 years, what keeps you passionate about moving the room?

Man I don’t even know I ask myself that question all the time, I think it’s just that reaction of taking somebody back to a moment in their life through music and seeing that reaction on the dancefloor or even just sitting at the bar enjoying a drink.

And also even though technology is a gift and a curse especially in the wrong hands of so many these days there’s nothing like being able to use some of the advancements in today’s technology to create things we were never able to physically do with vinyl for example that keeps me on my toes and constantly wanting to push the envelope and try new things. Overall it’s just all I know.