It’s 2022, and there’s another physical music format on the way. (Yeah, we’re just as surprised as you.)
Legendary producer T Bone Burnett is the driving force behind this new analog format called Ionic Originals, which is a unique disc combination of vinyl and CD. According to Variety, Burnett has been working with Bob Dylan to re-record some of his most iconic songs for the sole purpose of releasing those recordings to introduce this “new ultra-high-fidelity medium” to the masses.
Burnett said in a statement, “An Ionic Original is the pinnacle of recorded sound. It is archival quality. It is future-proof. It is one of one. Not only is an Ionic Original the equivalent of a painting, it is a painting. It is lacquer painted onto an aluminum disc, with a spiral etched into it by music. This painting, however, has the additional quality of containing that music, which can be heard by putting a stylus into the spiral and spinning it.”
An exact release date for this format is currently unknown, as is information on the type of device that will be needed to play an Ionic Original disc.
