‘Blijf geloven, blijf leven en geniet’

Continue to believe, continue to live and enjoy

 

 

 

Steven Craenmehr (23 February 1979 – 13 March 2014)

 

Wherever Steven Craenmehr went, there was sound. He even talked and made music in his sleep, according to friends and colleagues. Steven, a ‘huge big fat walking smile’, was a person full of life, energy and enthusiasm. As an unstoppable force he believed in his own capabilities, though he never acted arrogant. Everyone loved him; tell friends, family and colleagues.

 

Steven passed away Thursday 13th of March 2014 in Austin, Texas, during the SXSW Festival, when a driver on the run for the police hit him, amongst a few others.

 

Music and sports

 

Steven was a warm personality and could never sit still. Music was Steven’s biggest passion from an early age on. Within his eight years working for MassiveMusic, Steven had evolved himself from Account Manager, to Producer and finally as Creative Director. Working in close collaboration with his colleagues, Steven initiated the branding department within MassiveMusic. Working in the music industry as Creative Director with clients such as KLM, Philips, Unilever and Heineken, Steven was (in his own words) ‘living the dream’.

 

Besides working at MassiveMusic, he played in two bands. The Smoking Barrels, a Dutch party and cover band was one of them. As energetic front man, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist, he would lift the entire audience to bigger heights, including the back of the venue. The band played together for 16 years. The other band which played a big role in his music career was Perneau. With this band he wrote and produced their own music, with the ‘Perneau EP’ as a result. They also played a national tour in Holland. He also spend a lot of time in the studio, helping musicians on their productions and was busy co-writing top lines for the next big hits.

 

Apart from his passion for music, Steven had immense love for sports. In his younger years, he was a promising tennis player and was highly skilled in soccer and hockey. It did not matter to him whether he was doing sports himself or watching it from the sidelines, Steven would be there and give it his fullest. In 2011 he started with squash. As was already a naturally gifted sportsman, his immense dedication, hard work and enthusiasm had led top ranking squash players at his club to invest in his further progress and training. In his second year as a squash fanatic, those same players had officially adopted him in their squash league. Until the day he left for SXSW in Austin, Texas, Steven continued to be a valued, loving and dedicated team member.

 

But his greatest passion was music, “Change the world through music,” was a commonly heard phrase. This became his mission statement. A step into to the music business was nothing more than a logical step to him.

 

Steven worked on campaigns for big brands such as Heineken and Martini. He was the driving force behind the ‘Heineken presents Sensation Asia’ wristband music activation in 2012. He worked with many respected musicians including singers like Caro Emerald and Krystl, whose song ‘Golden Days’ he co-produced and marketed under a commercial for Martini. The song was the beginning of Krystls breakthrough, an achievement Steven was proud of.

 

Steven was born in 1979 in Rotterdam, but grew up in Heerenveen, The Netherlands. In his life, he was always busy helping people, and if he thought people could benefit from one another, he connected them. With a constant flow of ideas going through his mind, he saw opportunities and possibilities everywhere.

Steven’s everlasting enthusiasm, his motivation and positivity, his sincerity and honesty, his happiness and his passions. It didn’t matter what the relation was, Steven was able to touch every single person and be an inspiration to all.

 

‘Believe, live, and enjoy’

 

Below is a poem found in one of his lyric notebooks. The poem gives a little insight in the way Steven approached life. Never with self-pity and defeat, but with positivity and full of enjoyment. The poem is appropriately called ‘Believe, live, and enjoy’.

 

 

The burden of suffering makes carrying easier

Than to care for a sunken sun.

 

The second is the strongest

But the possibility will undoubtedly persist

 

No singing until the end is there

 

Continue to believe,

Continue to live,

And Enjoy!

 

 

The world has lost a sweet, honest, gentle, inspiring, loving and beautiful person. Steven leaves behind his wife and his son and is a great loss for many.

 

Steven's Music

 

 

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‘Back To Paradise (feat. Haris)’ by Ferry Corsten

℗ 2014 Flashover Recordings

iTunes  Spotify

 

 

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‘Butterfly Boy’ by Steven Craenmehr

℗ 2015 MPhonic Records

iTunes  Spotify

 

 

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‘Berliner Birds’ by Perneau

℗ 2014 MPhonic Records

iTunes  Spotify

 

 

 

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‘Perneau EP’ by Perneau

℗ 2014 MPhonic Records

iTunes  Spotify

 

 

A Tribute to Steven Craenmehr

March 28th 2014

Tolhuistuin Amsterdam

 

On March 28th 2014, family and friends organized a musical tribute to

Steven Craenmehr. It was a magical evening celebrating his life with

lots of live music, love and shared memories.

 

 

Videos

Photos

 

The photos of the tribute night can be viewed here.

 

 

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