Ep2 - Chris Greenwood talks about unwitting entrepenurship, hanging out with the Beastie boys and what it takes to run nightclubs, bars and festivals
Within the music industry, Chris Greenwood aka Madera Verde is somewhat of a legend.
In our conversation at his house in South London Chris talks us through the journey his entrepreneurial spirit and passion for music has taken him on over the years; From humble teenage beginnings trying to sell soggy firewood with a mate in Barnes, to having a pretty sweet summer job in the States DJing in the Hamptons, to returning to London to run his own nightclubs, festivals and everything in between.
His stories are enough to make you drip with envy and wish you were there with him - like those times he hung out with the Beastie Boys in New York, or when Bjork used to sing at the Giles Peterson & James Lavelle jam sessions he helped facilitate and Wesley Snipes dropped by Bar Rumba for a boogy- you know, the usual days at the office!
We talk about his epic vinyl collection and where his collecting habit started - visiting vinyltheques in Brussels with his mum, and amongst many other things we cover the seemingly organic progression towards eventually running Shoreditch based nightclub Cargo for 10 years before being drafted in to co run The Big Chill festival for over 5 years too. You can now find him most days & nights at Louie Louie, a hybrid cafe/bar/restaurant he co owns in the Walworth Road, SE17.
It was a real pleasure to chat to Chris being a huge fan of his radio show and the music he champions (World music 2.0 if you were wondering!), so I hope you enjoy it as much as I did and you take something away from the picture he paints of what it is like to be a part of the ever changing music industry.
Want more Chris?
You can visit his new venue Louie Louie at 347 Walworth Road London SE17 2AL, listen to his monthly SOAS radio show here, and his weekly radio show on MiSoul here. Chris' Mixcloud archive can also be listened to here and I thoroughly recommend doing all of the above!