Premium Gramophone take you back to the analog days of old. With a bamboo needle and a hand-cranked, completely mechanical action, this is a nearly perfect replica of gramophones used in the early 20th century. The player is produced by world-class hobbyist supplier Gakken, and the quality shows. This gramophone supports all record sizes, features speed and tone adjustment, and even lets you record music! No file formats to worry about, no batteries to replace, and the warm, nostalgic sound of analog – this just might be the perfect music player.

Katie Paterson – Ice Record [mp3]

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Sound recordings from three glaciers in Iceland, pressed into three records, cast, and frozen with the meltwater from each of these glaciers, and played on three turntables until they completely melt. The records were played once and now exist as three dvds. The turntables begin playing together, and for the first ten minutes as the needles trace their way around, the sounds from each glacier merge in and out with the sounds the ice itself creates. The needle catches on the last loop, and the records play for nearly two hours, until completely melted.

Sir Paul McCartney is to release an album of electronic music under his pseudonym The Fireman.

Electric Arguments, the third the former Beatle has made with producer Youth, is due out in November and contains a mixture of musical styles.

It will be the first record from Sir Paul since he released Memory Almost Full in his own name last year.

The album reached number three in the US and has sold around 1.5 million copies around the world to date.

The musical duo attempted to keep their identity secret when their first album was released in 1993, but it was leaked to the press.

They followed up their debut album with Rushes in 1998.

One of the tracks from the new album will be released as a limited edition download to supporters of the Adopt-A-Minefield campaign.

Each song was written by Sir Paul and recorded in the space of one day.
[via BBC News]