Badge Époque Ensemble is a collective of Toronto musicians assembled by bandleader Maximilian Turnbull to perform original compositions. Across four albums, an EP, and several compilation and archival releases—primarily on Telephone Explosion—the group has contemporized library music, 1970s-style jazz-funk, psychedelic soul, prog, and esoterica. Turnbull has also oriented the group around a series of sample-collage-based works and, with Lammping, a remix album constructed from reworked stems and loops of the Ensemble’s own recordings. Their catalog reflects a genre restlessness, which draws together eclectic, groove-oriented fragments. The group has collaborated with disparate artists such as Boldy James, O.C., Jennifer Castle, Meg Remy, Dorothea Paas, and James Baley. They have toured with Bill Callahan and U.S. Girls and were longlisted for the Polaris Prize.
Members: Jay Anderson (drums), Chris Bezant (guitar), Edwin de Goeij (keys), Karen Ng (saxophone), Alia O’Brien (flute), Gio Rosati (bass), Ed Squires (congas), and Maximilian Turnbull.
