Jake Mandell is an electronic music producer from Minneapolis, now living in Berlin. His style is a very unique blend of dance music and creative, 'intelligent' IDM. The structure of his music is inspired by his study of biochemistry at university, with complex melodies and varying rhythms.
His 1998 Quondam Current album on Force Inc. is more dance oriented than his earlier work, as he said he didn't want to be stuck in a specific genre. It's quite far from boring techno though, recorded as a 40 track mix, with extensive use of subtle effects. I would seriously recommend listening to some of his newer stuff with a decent pair of headphones, it's amazing.
He also records with Junko Asanuma under the pseudonym Hamijama. Recently he collaborated with Jeffers Egan to produce an audiovisual project called Slither. Released on DVD, the sound is produced in 5.1 Surround, with 73,800 frames of otherwordly visuals and 41 minutes of abstract, futuristic sound.
Discography:
Dlue Veacon EP (PRIMEdeep, 1997)
Midwest EP (Lucky Kitchen, 1998)
Parallel Processes (Worm Interface, 1998)
Lawnshower EP (Pitchcadet, 1999)
Placekick EP (Carpark, 1999)
Quondam Current (Force Inc., 2000)
Cultivar EP (Beta Bodega, 2000)
Love Songs for Machines (Carpark, 2001)
Nocha De Luna (Etihad, 2002)
Crusty Effluvia (K2O, 2002)
Slither (DVD) (K20, 2002)
Sources:
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Jake_Mandell
http://www.forcedexposure.com/artists/mandell.and.jeffers.egan.jake.html