2-track

A step up from shoe-box cassette recorders, reel-to-reels and stereo boom boxes, this was our first multi-track recorder, bought by Ben in the first half of 1981. It was a cassette and radio player/recorder which allowed you to split the stereo into two recordable tracks. It also included seven pre-set rhythms. Evidence that the "home-taping" scene was sufficient to promise a market for such a gadget.

Made by Tensai and called the "Rhythm Machine" - there seem to be no details about it anywhere on the web. A very odd bit of technology. We mainly used this to lay down double tracked backing tapes which we then played over live, recording everything on a second cassette deck: a "ghetto-blaster" which we borrowed from John's sister. Eventually superceded by the 4-track. (GG)

The pre-set rhythms were Waltz, Slow Rock, Rock Beat, Rhumba, Beguine, Chachacha and Mambo. The usual suspects. It was really our first drum machine as well as our first multi-track. You can see an image of the Tensai on the back cover of Press My Hungry Button.

Interestingly on of our post-2000 recordings (I Heard it on the Radio, 2007) was based on an old, unused backing track which was built over one of the Tensai presets. (BN)

The cover of the Still Hungry EP features a "biomorphic" drawing of the Tensai. (GG, 10/2026)

See also, 4-Track, recording