Passion 3 was the third installment in a series of highly influential raves held at The Edge in downtown Orlando. It took place on Dec  9th, 1995

Event Details
Date: Dec 9th, 1996
Venue: The Edge, 70 North Orange Avenue, Orlando, FL.

Organizer: Part of the "Passion" series that became synonymous with the Orlando scene in the mid-90s.

Lineup & Artists
Passion 3 continued the venue's tradition of featuring top-tier electronic talent, often focusing on the evolving Progressive House and Florida Breaks sounds:

Andy Hughes: A legendary figure in the early Florida scene known for his smooth, melodic transitions.

Chris Fortier: A key resident who helped define the "Orlando sound" and went on to international fame in progressive house.

RAMP (Live): A high-energy live electronic act that was a frequent highlight of the Passion series.

Local Residents: The event typically featured support from Florida icons like DJ Icey, John Debo, and Kimball Collins, who were staples of The Edge's peak years. 
Vibe & Atmosphere

The "Sweat" Factor: Attendees from this era often recall the intense energy of the dance floor, where the heat and movement would cause the venue's walls and ceiling to "sweat".

Holiday Energy: As a Sunday night event on a holiday weekend, it drew a massive crowd from across Florida, with many driving from Miami and Tampa for the legendary "all-night" experience.

The Sound: By 1996, the music at Passion was shifting toward the darker, more atmospheric sounds of progressive house, though it remained anchored by the breakbeats that made Orlando a global dance music hu

Passion 3 Rave / Dec of 1995 / Orlando, FL

Electronic music aficionado since 1991.   
DJ Since 94. 
Producer since  2001. 
Record Label Owner (Stellar Records), early 00’s.  
Collector of classic 90’s DJ Sets.  
Current purveyor of modern progressive breaks and deep house via Black Coffee dj mix series. 

Had the privilege of “being there” in halcyon days of the early US rave scene at ground zero - Orlando, FL.  Our  (at the time) small, Disney focused town become the launch pad for the American Rave scene via the amazing DJs and promoters that were ahead of their time led by Kimball Collins at Aahz  playing  upfront dance music (simply called house back then) that was generally only found across the Atlantic. Kimball and other local DJs mixed music expertly in our burgeoning underground clubs here to the late hours of the morning often bleeding into the next day igniting a decade long explosion of club music throughout the city.  If you were there, you know.   Aahz spawned a host of iconic clubs including Firestone (now Vanguard), The Edge, the Abyss, Barberella, Marz and on and on.  Huge one off raves like Trance Atlantic and Zen fast followed  setting the stage for todays EDC, bringing more global talent to our dancing city, laying down musical history that everyone that lived it will certainly “Rave” about for the rest of their lives. 

Being a part of that scene led me, like many others, to pursue my own path in creating electronic music.  A passion for DJing led to endless Orlando house parties in early 90s, before joining the Stellar Brand/team in DC providing a residency at Tracks nightclub and  opening up gigs at clubs throughout the DC, Northern Virginia and Maryland before returning to Orlando in 2004.  

Still listening, buying, spinning, sharing the music that moves me. It has been and always will be all about the music. 

I continue to post recent sets here on soundclould and I often steam live over at Mixcloud.com 


For contact please email djgradee@gmail.com

Passion 3 Rave / Dec of 1995 / Orlando, FL

Grade-E