Are you a fan of analog music, but you regret your vinyl wears out relatively quickly? Then Ionic Originals might be for you!
Launching a new analog medium in the 21st century is quite remarkable. Musicians Bob Dylan and T-Bone Burnett took the plunge with the Ionic Originals, see also this post on Like HiFi in Germany. It is a kind of ‘hybrid’ between CD and vinyl, according to its makers. The record itself consists of an aluminum disc in which the analog track(s) are spirally etched. Or rather: those tracks are etched in a special lacquer that’s applied to the record. For some reasons that causes the designers to speak of a (musical) ‘painting’. By means of a needle, the track is then played back at home, or so the idea goes. Sounds a bit like the reinvention of the time-honored LP. We guess that the developers assume they have come up with the ideal wear-resistant lacquer; time will tell of course whether this is indeed the case.
Standard record player?
It is as yet unclear whether the Ionic Originals can be played on existing record players. If that’s not the case and a special player is required, we’re guessing the project won’t be too big of a success. If the Ionic Originals can be played on a regular player, there will undoubtedly be fans to find for it. But then there have to be very clear advantages over standard vinyl. Moreover, it will always be mainly the ‘old vinyl cracks’ who will embrace it, which makes for a relatively small market.
