Long before U2 sold iPods, Apple’s first music “endorsement” was what you might have expected from a young computer company started by a couple of hackers: Doris Norton, an Italian-born musician-turned-producer whose pioneering compositions in avant-garde and progressive music were abetted by synthesizers like the Roland System 700, Roland system 100M and the Minimoog. Her first solo album, titled, "Under Ground," and released on the Musik Research label, came emblazoned with an Apple logo on the front. Six years later, she would become a music consultant for IBM.Sometimes it’s hard to remember that large technology companies were once just tiny startups stacked with nerds genuinely interested in electronic music and engineering. But this is all really just an excuse to share a few of Norton’s magnificent songs, in all their 8-bit glory.
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