The three-headed beast known as Ternion Sound was spawned at Infrasound Music Festival in 2016, when bass music DJ/producers Apparition, Johnny Foreplay, and Nostalgia joined forces for an impromptu B2B set on the Beach stage.

The artists’ chemistry was infectious, and immediately obvious. When the three reconvened at Origin-414 Studios in Minneapolis, MN, it was clear that their bond is less ephemeral than the festival magic that forged it. The trio metamorphosed: a new monster was born.

Only two years after their convergence, Ternion Sound has captivated the international dubstep community through releases on labels like Duploc, Chestplate, and Silent Motion.Their music has been supported by scene heavyweights such as Digital Mystikz, Distance, J:Kenzo, Bukez Finezt, Joe Nice, and more.The group’s explosion on the scene may feel supernatural, but it isn’t as meteoric as the timeline implies. By 2016, each artist was already an experienced producer in their own right, all with unique and extensive musical backgrounds and deep roots in the Minneapolis electronic music scene. Today, the trio’s immersion in the local sphere continues. They’re regulars on the dance floors of underground events in all genres, and two members, Johnny Foreplay and Nostalgia, teach production at the electronic music school Slam Academy – a community staple. Ternion Sound’s collective prowess on production is self-evidenced by their knack for visceral, gut-rumbling 140 bangers; their sophisticated touch on the buttons is backed by 32 years of combined production experience.

Still, the trifecta is greater than the sum of its parts. As producers, each artist brings their individual strengths to the studio, where they tend to adopt complementary, but fluid roles (Apparition is the ideas man, Nostalgia is a master of refinement, and Johnny Foreplay is tasked to “research & development”). But Ternion Sound’s true powers are revealed on the decks. As DJ’s, the three are in their element performing together. They feed off each others’ energy, and spit their fire back onto the dance floor. Every set from Ternion Sound is a surprise experience, even for the artists themselves. On the decks, they always improvise – and they aren’t afraid to stray from the realm of 140. They recently celebrated their shared passion for dance music in all its renditions in their recent set at the prolific Minneapolis techno night Communion.

As DJs and producers, Ternion Sound’s excitement for esoteric sounds and boundary-bending styles plays out as a subtle, but potent contagion – but don’t expect this beast to back away from dubstep’s tradition. The three are natural apostolates of “Moving people through sound, not hype”: for both the Sub.mission Agency artists and their audience, Ternion Sound’s Denver debut at The Black Box this June felt more like a homecoming. As the global dubstep scene evolves, the stateside spawn is already recognizable as its triple-faced leader, but beware: this fledgling beast has yet to reach its final form.

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Symmetry Festival