Michael Fremer at Montréal Audiofest 2023

This is the first time I’ve attended the long running (34 years) Montréal Audiofest, which took place March 24th through the 26th. It falls around my birthday so the timing isn’t ideal. This year I was asked to present a lifetime achievement award to Oracle turntable designer Marcel Riendau and felt it was an honor and a good thing to do as an Oracle Delphi was my first high performance turntable, I’ve reviewed two iterations and Mr. Riendau is dealing with some health issues.

I also obliged the hosts Michel Plante and Sarah Tremblay by conducting a turntable set-up seminar Saturday morning. An SRA crowd greeted me and it was a truly fun experience as was the entire show. I met so many nice people, who showed their appreciation for my work over the years.

The show was well-attended, with large crowds every day, and industry participation was also strong. Many record vendors were there, though the number of exhibitors spinning vinyl in the rooms was somewhat disappointing.

I gave a less than hilarious speech, highlighting the Oracle turntable’s excellence, longevity and superb sound quality. After Mr. Riendau got his award and sat down, singer Anne Bisson (who I interviewed, and you’ll see it towards the end of the video), got on stage to announce that I was receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from the show organizers. What a pleasant surprise!

The live music at the party was high energy fun, the food, intended to produce gas, worked as advertised and everyone attending had a great time—almost like a summer camp final evening banquet.

This video is the first of two show videos I hope you enjoy.