On Wed, May 5, 2010 at 3:35 PM, Philipp <hollunder@lavabit.com> wrote:
Maybe have a look at the reggae scene? Afaik it's quite common there to
involve the person at the mixing desk, to play with effects like delays
and so on.
However, I don't know how they call it. Shouldn't be too hard to figure
out.

They call it "dub". Perhaps made popular by http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_"Scratch"_Perry who created a mixing style and sound that most people now associate with "reggae." 

In the early 1970s, Perry was one of the producers whose mixing board experiments resulted in the creation of dub. In 1973, Perry built a studio in his back yard, The Black Ark, to have more control over his productions and continued to produce notable musicians such as Bob Marley & the Wailers, Junior Byles, Junior Murvin, The Heptones, The Congos andMax Romeo. With his own studio at his disposal, Perry's productions became more lavish, as the energetic producer was able to spend as much time as he wanted on the music he produced. Virtually everything Perry recorded in The Black Ark was done using basic recording equipment; through sonic sleight-of-hand, Perry made it sound unique. Perry remained behind the mixing desk for many years, producing songs and albums that stand out as a high point in reggae history.

An engineering background seems to be a part of  dub and reggae production -- King Tubby, Lee Perry, Mad Professor, were all knowledgeable in electronics and studio production and also musically inclined. For example this excellent interview with the "Mad Professor" http://www.kcrw.com/media-player/mediaPlayer2.html?type=video&id=mb100414mad_professor @26.20... he discusses his background in electronics and how it turned into dub production skills... also discusses digital vs analog, 3d sound, etc. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mad_Professor ).

-- Niels
http://nielsmayer.com

PS: I too saw some Adrian Sherwood and Tack>>Head shows in Bristol and London back in the 80's -- in full agreement that it was a great sonic experience.