We invited Bustin‘ Loose aka Tom Lily to sit down for a little talk. Tom has been throwing parties in London since 2015 under the name The Disco Express. The parties have played host to a lot of great stars like Dimitri From Paris, Austin Ato and Tiger & Woods. The record label of the same name came a little later but with the same ethos of original beats with a disco flair! On the week Bustin‘ Loose releases his new ‘The Link Up’ EP, we had a chance to ask him a few questions.
WWD: Bustin’ Loose – I’d love to know a little about you and how long you have been producing under this name. When did it begin, and what were your first productions?
Hey! Thanks so much for having me. In the beginning, Bustin’ Loose was the name was the name of my first party series hosted in Peckham, South London. It was a project I started in 2015 inspired by the legendary funk music of Chuck Brown.
When I moved East in 2017 I was running events at Shoreditch Platform; Bustin’ Loose then became my artist name when I started The Disco Express. A couple of years later, I had my first releases on Toy Tonics, Whiskey Disco and the Basement Discos.
Over seven years or so, I’ve been releasing music and remixes most recently on my own label, The Disco Express.
WWD: Over the years, who are the DJs and artists that have been inspirational for you?
There are so many! Joe Claussell from the legendary NYC trio Body & Soul has always been a big inspiration for me. The energy he brings to the decks is unreal.
I also look up to DJ Harvey for his crazily good song selections and to Basement Jaxx / Daft Punk for their sampling. My favourite artist at the moment would probably be Salute having completely blown me away at Glastonbury in 2023.
Going back even further, I’d have to say Isaac Hayes, Teddy Pendergrass, and Willie Hutch. Those guys are absolute perfectionists and their desire to create sublime music really inspires me.
WWD: Tell us about The Disco Express party. Where did the idea originate from? Where was the party held initially, who was your first big guest?
The idea was originally conceived at East London nightclub Shoreditch Platform. It was a former train station linking together Deptford and Shoreditch in the 40’s. The interior was painted black and white, and it boasted a beautiful loft where the parties happened, it was stunning!
We wanted a new name for the monthly in-house disco and The Disco Express was the pick of the bunch. It perfectly encapsulated the music and surrounding. Our graphics and branding reflected the name so well and we were pretty stoked with how strong the identity became! The first big guest we booked was probably Jacques Renault, soon after Eli Escobar, both from NYC.
WWD: Is the party all about ‘the big guest’ would you say?
Not at all. Its about the music, the people, the venue and the atmosphere. Don’t get me wrong having a ‘big guest’ definitely helps create a buzz, but as long as you have the raw essentials you can create some amazing parties.
WWD: I guess there have been many memorable moments, can you tell us a standout memory from one of the parties?
How long do we have? There’s too many to mention! A couple that spring to mind were our first Glastonbury where 600 people sung with me to Candi Staton’s Young Hearts. We also hosted some tremendous loft parties with Glenn Underground, Dave Lee, Tiger & Woods.. Marcellus Pittman’s impromptu b2b with Kirollus last year was pretty sick.
For our 6th birthday at E1 we had three absolute legends together on one stage.. Dimitri From Paris, Francois K and Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy. 60 years of talent in one photo, that was pretty special.
We had some amazing moments on our travels too. Kitkat in Berlin is absolutely wild. Some of the most debaucherous scenes I’ve witnessed on the dance floor. The Italian crowd at Santeria in Milan were also incredible. Limbs everywhere.
WWD: A lot of people say that it is hard to put on parties and make them work in, and make the costs work in the current climate. What are your thoughts on this.
It’s a tough one you know. It’s hard graft no doubt about that. But I feel promoters do what they do because they love it. The pay off at the end when you see a crowd go crazy for the music they love, that’s what all the work is for.
Really, the UK government should take a similar stance to Germany and invest more money into the arts. We’ve seen lots of venues close in recent years in the UK. By supporting the nightlife industry we’d see way more prosperity and happier people! It’s statistically proven!
WWD: The party has grown and taken you to many different places. Tell us about that journey.
The Disco Express in Europe really burst into life in late 2021 when we hosted our first party in Berlin. It was so busy we had to turn people away with a massive audience dancing outside! Was totally unexpected, we didn’t know it’d be that popular! From then we knew the label would be a hit with our European audience.
Since then, we’ve hosted label showcases in Paris, Milan, Rome, Florence, Trondheim and New York. Now, we have residencies (bi-monthly parties) set up in London at 25 Paul Street, Berlin at Crack Bellmer and NYC at Ponyboy.
Going forward we have plans to bring the label to Brazil, Mexico, Montreal, Austria and Australia! Lots to look forward to.
WWD: I would love to understand about The Disco Express the label. When was it born, who has released on the imprint. I guess it was natural progression from the party for you.
In 2020, when everything shutdown we were twiddling our thumbs trying to decide what do to with all our spare time. We concluded that starting a record label would be the best course of action. Turned out, it was a pretty good idea.
Over three years now as a record label, The Disco Express has released music by a plethora of artists including Dave Lee, Michael Gray, Barbara Tucker, John Morales, The Reflex, Aroop Roy, Michelle Weeks, Art of Tones, Mani Hoffman as well as giving a platform to fantastic new talent. To be fair I think we would’ve always gone down this route, but 2020 definitely instigated it.
WWD: Where does your love of disco come from?
My dad’s collection of dusty 45’s. He had duplicate records by the likes of Shalamar, Beggar & Co, Teddy Pendergrass, Heatwave, Brass Construction and so on that he gave me when I was younger. The start of my disco odyssey I guess!
WWD: Are you an avid collector of disco records? What is your most precious and valuable record that you have?
Yes for sure, what disco lover isn’t?! There’s a South African Soweto disco record by Soul Throbs called Millie Come Back. I especially love disco music from Africa, particularly Lagos. I have a fair bit of that.
When I was first getting into disco music I used to collect releases by Epic Records. The stylish blue cover art always caught my eye in the record shops and Give It On Up by James Mtume is probably my favourite release from the label.
My first-ever record was a bit of a coup. 50p for Rappers Delight in Oxfam, Purley. Not valuable, but precious to me for sure.
WWD: What do you think is one of the greatest disco records of all time?
‘Carlos Douglas – I Got The Answer’ is an absolute belter. Choosing You by Lenny Williams, Touch Me In The Morning by Marlena Shaw and Last Dance by Donna Summer are also choice favourites.
WWD: What do you think are the elements of a great disco record?
High-energy rhythms, soulful lyrics, silky strings, thumping bass, cheeky guitar licks and a bit of brass for good measure.
WWD: The Link Up is your latest release on your home label. When you started to put the record together did you have a plan, or an intention, or is the EP made up of tracks made at different times?
I never had an intention or plan so to speak. I met up with artists from the label and we recorded music together. It was only until I realised how many artists from The Disco Express I had collaborated with it hit me. ‘What a cool idea it’d be to do an EP themed around collaboration’. The Link Up EP is exactly that, music that joins the dots between our team in London, Berlin, New York and Paris.
WWD: What are you most proud of with this new EP?
It’s so unique. There are virtually no samples in this EP, just the homage to Marlena Shaw (where I used a little interview snippet). All the instruments are recorded live, so it has that real organic feel.
It’s hard to come by the original Nu-Disco today. There’s a real over-saturation of re-hashed disco music, heavily sampling 70’s and 80’s music. It’s uninspiring and you hear the same old shit all the time. It feels mechanical, over-processed and it loses its soul. Don’t get me wrong I do like edits, but I think artists should really endeavour to create music from scratch.
One of the main ingredients of my music is giving it a sense of soul, purpose and originality – like nothing you’ve ever heard before. I really love what we’ve done with the EP and kudos to all the artists, they’ve done a great job.
WWD: What are you working on next Tom you can share?
We’re working on our 75th Release. It’s a special vinyl comp with our favourite remixes from The Disco Express. Some serious heat is incoming!
WWD: Please drop the details of your next party if you have dates.
At the time of speaking now, we’re about to embark on some exciting gigs to celebrate our 7th Birthday at Alcazar in Rome and Sacré in Paris.
WWD: If you knew back when you started what you know now, what advice would you give to a young Tom before you started out on your music journey.
Taking risks in life can either pay off or fail. Through failure however you learn from your experiences, so take it easy, be confident, more risk assertive with your decisions. Enjoy the process! The journey is the best bit of all 🙂
Bustin’ Loose: Facebook // SoundCloud
Disco Express: Facebook // SoundCloud