Rio Tashan talks new brand Expressions, Randall, and the gig-ification of rave

“With this day and age, I feel like a lot of places, a lot of artists are kind of put into a lane, or they have to stick to one lane. And as a music head, I feel like there's so much more.”

The week before Rio Tashan was set to kick off his tour, he was supposed to have a quiet weekend. What was meant to be a subdued evening for a friend’s birthday turned into an all-nighter at FOLD, a club in the east of the capital where he was raised, watching Enzo Siragusa behind the decks until the early hours. He agrees impromptu nights are usually the best ones. 

Four years after being crowned one of Defected’s ‘Unsung Heroes’ and two years on from his 2024 debut EP Out The Blocks on Kerri Chandler’s Kaoz Theory label, Friday 6th February sees Tashan launch his new brand Expressions. The brand is being christened with a tour kicking off at revered London haunt fabric, before heading on to shows in Pontypridd, Glasgow, Bristol, Leicester, Nottingham, Edinburgh, and Norwich, closing out at a yet-to-be-announced venue in Dublin. The concept pledges to prioritise exploration over categorisation, and pays tribute to Tashan’s father, the late jungle pioneer DJ Randall, whose teaching and techniques were major influences. 

For Tashan, the genesis of Expressions sprang from an inner conflict. “I kind of had this idea,” he tells us, “where artistically I’ve always felt like I’m just a music head. And in this day and age, I feel like a lot of places, a lot of artists are put into a lane, or they have to stick to one lane. And as a music head, I feel like there's so much more.”

“There've been so many people I’ve spoken to prior to this idea where they’ll be like, ‘You know, I really like to play this kind of style. I’ve got all of the music, but I’m kind of in this lane, and you just get booked for shows that are that.’”

“And then it's the same with a lot of brands, a lot of parties that tend to be one sound throughout the whole night. I just thought, for myself, I want to be able to express myself - the broadness of my taste - and it not really matter.” 

The name Expressions reflects this ethos, to give a platform to any artist to express themselves as they feel and deliver it to a crowd. “It’s got no boundaries, just so much freedom to do your thing and whatever you feel in that moment. My little saying was, ‘It’s a feeling.’ And that’s what I want to put into this brand. If you want to take it a bit west, take it a bit west.”

Trying new things and not being afraid to do so is what Tashan believes Expressions to be all about. He cites Circoloco as an example of a brand that prioritises individualism among its artists. “I would never have gone out to afro house, for instance. It’s just never been my go-to. I stumbled upon Desiree in the Terrace and thought it was amazing. Unless they were on a lineup and doing their thing, I probably wouldn't have gone and seen afro house or afro tech in a club space until that moment.”

"I actually saw this interview that Ewan McVicar did the other day before his Ireland show, saying about how if you're sticking to one sound and no one's leaving, you haven't pushed them too far. And I thought that was perfect because trying new things, and not being afraid to do so, is what I want this to be about."

“That’s another reason why: people could come to Expressions, hopefully to see one person, and with it curated and programmed in the right way, you’re then in the same room as people that may have come for another artist, and now you're introduced to new music and new styles.”

“Everything's more expensive now. People aren't willing to take the risk to go out to something they're not guaranteed to like. Why not give them what they're going to like, and then also introduce them to something new?”

“That’s for the consumer side, and from the artist side, it’s allowing them to truly be themselves with no boundaries, no limitations.”

"I actually saw this interview that Ewan McVicar did the other day before his Ireland show, saying about how if you're sticking to one sound and no one's leaving, you haven't pushed them too far. And I thought that was perfect because trying new things, and not being afraid to do so, is what I want this to be about."

That’s what these parties are for. The music is made to be experienced in the setting it’s made for, rather than through a Spotify playlist. “If something doesn't resonate in that format you might not be into it, but most of this music isn't supposed to be consumed in that format. It's in the setting, and when you feel the energy around that, that then separates it, and makes you feel a type of way, and makes you more connected with it.”

The artists set to play across Expressions’ nine nights are still being kept under wraps, mainly as Tashan wants “people to trust the brand to deliver a good night rather than, ‘going to hear this music one night.’” For what we know so far, the Glasgow set has Scottish royalty in store while the show at The Love Inn will feature Bristolian stalwarts and genre heavyweights, which differs from some of the regular Slapfunk names that are lined up for the Nottingham show. 

“Later down the line, once there’s more of an established understanding of the brand being a bit of everything- don’t get me wrong, it’s still within parameters of it being house music or forms of house - once the understanding is there, that’s when the programming becomes the most important thing, where it’s different but still makes sense how it’s gone from one DJ to the next.”

The premise harkens back to a time when people went to the rave based on the event as opposed to the headliner, but the crux of Expressions’ influence comes from Tashan’s late father, the legendary jungle and drum and bass DJ Randall, who passed away in 2024. “[Expressions] is kind of an ode to [him] … I learned a lot post his passing, where I looked more into things.”

“I didn’t really notice many of the lessons he was teaching me without telling me - about not conforming, individualism, and how he would play and DJ. He’d be able to do one thing and excel in another, and that’s how he was able to play everywhere.”

“So it’s adding some of those lessons into it from him, and now continuing his legacy in my own way - making it my own and taking his teachings to this. Ever since his passing, it ignited this idea and feeling, and I wanted to channel that.”

“That’s what old raves were like. You’d have one room that’s jungle, one room that’s techno, one room that’s hardcore, but everyone’s going, it's not because they're going to a drum and bass event; they're going to Fantazia. That’s what I want it to be like a bit more.”

The rave scene has certainly lost something in recent years, becoming more gig-ified as audiences turn up just to see a specific DJ. Tashan agreed, asserting that promotion was once done for the party but is now centred on a specific artist, which he hopes Expressions will push against. Defected, a brand Tashan has worked with in the past during his A&R days, was one he cited as a benchmark for a brand people turn up for rather than for a specific artist. “They’ve been going for 25, 26 years now. There’s not many people that have been able to do that.” 

“If I’m to take anything from the time I’ve been working there, it’s taking a blueprint of that - what makes the brand the selling point. If it’s successful, I can book anyone that I’d love, but make the brand the strongest asset.”

Originally, Tashan and his team planned to start Expressions in the final months of last year, but made the decision to delay until now in order to kickstart at fabric. An East London native, Tashan’s first foray into the club scene was fabric with his dad. “I really wanted to start at fabric, because it’s carrying on the legacy in my own way from dad. This is a big part of that story. To have it start at fabric, one of the most prolific clubs in the country, is amazing. I’m forever thankful.”

After fabric, the tour is non-stop. Platform 11 in Pontypridd, Berkeley Suite in Glasgow, The Love Inn in Bristol, Apres Lounge in Leicester, Stealth in Nottingham, Sneaky Pete’s in Edinburgh, and Gonzo in Norwich. “It’s looking really exciting but it’s new territory going from artist to now promoter and artist. Thank God for my team, thank God for Andy, thank God for Terry. I’m there in the background.”

“But it makes it more exciting. Getting my lightbox for the first time and opening that, they are moments where things feel more real. Everything is still an idea until Friday. Friday is going to be the start of what I hope is my life. It’s mad to comprehend. It’s stressful, my hair’s going, but overall it’s part of the journey. It all funnels into excitement to see what happens.”

“Everything is still an idea until Friday. Friday is going to be the start of what I hope is my life. It’s mad to comprehend.”

The way Tashan speaks about Expressions mirrors his traits as a DJ: intuitive, not defined, playing with the crowd. These characteristics are ones the East Londoner has aimed to bake into the brand. “I think these are characteristics a lot of DJs who aren’t able to express themselves fully wish they had the chance to.”

“It’s giving a platform for both the consumer and the artist to do that. Even though my sets can be sporadic, it’s still tied to a boundary. There’s no point going really underground when there aren't people who are going to appreciate that. And then it’s not as satisfying not being able to dip that in and have it received well.”

“So yes, it’s an embodiment of what my characteristics are, but it’s not supposed to be a direct mirror of me. I want it to be more for everyone than just myself.”

For now, Tashan will be at all Expressions events, but the long-term goal is to let the brand breathe. An early idea was to call the series ‘Rio Tashan presents Expressions’, but Tashan decided against it. “It’s not about me, it’s about the platform, giving opportunities [for] what I’ve wanted to see [in] other people and enabling that. Maybe in 10 years down the line, if it’s still going, I might not need to play all the shows.”

Metalheadz, the drum and bass imprint co-founded by Tashan’s godfather Goldie, was another influence for Expressions. “Because the brand is so solid, they know what they're going to get. People have trust in what’s going to be delivered.”

A hope for the future is for Expressions to evolve into a label as well, but for now, Tashan is taking things one step at a time. “The focus would be good music in any shape or form, as is [the ethos for] the night: good artists, good DJs doing their own thing. It fits well within the ethos of the brand. So yeah, there’s no crossing that out.”

When it comes to the year ahead, Expressions remains Tashan’s priority for now, but it isn’t the only thing he has on his plate. “It’s got to slow down, it can’t be constant,” he confesses, “Maybe once every two or three months.” With two singles and two remixes ready to go, it’s an exciting moment for Rio’s career. 

“Outside of that, I hope to have more things going on for myself as well. This isn’t a platform to help me grow; it’s a platform for me to express myself. If I fancy doing a really minimal set, maybe I’ll do that there. It relieves that itch if I’m not getting satisfaction from other places, because I haven’t been able to play this side of me. That’s what this is for. And it’s for everyone.”

“I still want other things happening, but it’s going to work in parallel for now.”

In a way, Expressions is a way for Rio Tashan to satisfy a craving whenever it comes up, but it doesn’t stop there. "I’m putting everything into it, it’s got to be parallel. I don’t want to be ‘the Expressions guy.’ Even though it’s my thing, I want it to be: ‘Oh, have you heard about Expressions?’ ‘Oh, have you heard about Rio?’ Mutually.”

If the brand focused too heavily on Tashan, it would go back to the norm of artists selling tickets rather than brands. That’s not the change Expressions plans to make.

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