| 3 Steps Ahead | |
| Background: | non_vocal_instrumentalist |
| Birth Name: | Peter-Paul Pigmans |
| Birth Date: | 31 January 1961 |
| Birth Place: | Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| Death Place: | Netherlands |
| Genre: | Gabber |
| Years Active: | 1994 - 2003 |
Peter-Paul Pigmans (31 January 1961 - 27 August 2003) was a Dutch gabber music producer, best known for his production under the pseudonym 3 Steps Ahead.
Born in Berkel en Rodenrijs and based out of Rotterdam, Pigmans' music is widely considered one of the most innovative specimens of the gabber genre;[1] while many gabber producers favor raw force and little virtuosity when creating a song, Pigmans' music always had a strong technical side, and his songs often featured atmospherical elements, an unusual thing in the genre at the time. He was also known for his extremely wild live shows.[2]
His first full-length album Most Wanted & Mad (1997) reached #35 on the Dutch Album Top 100.[3]
Pigmans was known for his eccentric live performances, with bizarre suits, strange sound effects and rousing live sets. For instance, he wore a football shirt that was half a Feyenoord shirt and half an Ajax shirt, aiming to promote fraternisation within the hardcore scene.[4] [5] [6] [7]
Pigmans was diagnosed with brain cancer in 1999. On 18 July 2003 in Zaandam at the Hemkade Stadium, fellow Dutch producers organized a fundraising event for him called "3 Steps Ahead 4 Life" where the cream of the Dutch gabber scene performed (for free - all income was spent on his treatment in hope of curing him) and paid respect to him.[8] A couple of weeks later, he died. Two months later the annual Thunderdome started with a one-minute silence in his memory.
He's been elected into the Thunderdome Hall of Fame.[9]
Two of his songs were used in the soundtrack for Brüno (2009): "Thunderdome Till We Die" and "Stravinsky's Bass".[10]
