Twenty years ago this week, Microsoft introduced its Windows 95 operating system on CD-ROM. One of the legacies of the operating system was its dreamy startup music, composed by legendary producer Brian Eno and titled "The Microsoft Sound." It lasts six seconds. (Microsoft's work with well-known musicians didn't end with Eno: Tucker Martine, who has worked with Laura Veirs and The Decemberists, co-produced the startup sound for the Vista system.)
To commemorate the debut of Windows 95, British digital artist Daniel Jones slowed its theme song down by a factor of 40 (in a manner not unlike the work of YouTube user Anthony70099). The result? A surprisingly evocative ambient composition that lasts almost four minutes. Hear Jones' takes on Windows startup music, from 95 through XP, below.
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