Always a first-class showman as the voice of synth-pop stalwarts Depeche Mode, Dave Gahan utilizes the independence of solo albums to progress from figurehead to songsmith. With his uncharacteristically vivid baritone, Gahan steers his tunes to shadowy corners of electronica often with a grisly spirit. Here, "Kingdom," the first single from Gahan's upcoming LP Hourglass, gets the remix treatment courtesy of K10K a.k.a. Kap10Kurt. The NYC knob-tweaker takes the song to a dungeon of glitchy Reznor-esque drums and grimy, brooding synths. And without longtime DM songwriter, Gahan is still enamored with electronics with some brighter leads poking through the murky shards of light, but central to the mix is a gloomy bass line, rough with fuzz.

Consider "Kingdom (K10K Extended Mix)" as a remix in three acts. Panicky, stifled gasps interject a query -- "Can you feel me?" -- spliced repeatedly through the song's first part, giving way to an airing of grievances about God and wisdom. With Gahan set free in the second act, his verses roll before a third act trance pushes sinister sounds again and Gahan's voice, though stripped and synthetic, still sounds at home. Dave Gahan's new album, Hourglass, will be released in the U.S. on Oct. 23 via Virgin.

Now Hear This
Dave Gahan - "Kingdom (K10K Extended Mix)" STREAMING WINDOWS MEDIA

On the Web:
Dave Gahan at MySpace
davegahan.com

Talk: What do the dark clouds in Dave Gahan's 'kingdom' say for the upcoming Hourglass?