Together with Gareth Jones, Daniel and Alan's involvement in the production of the next album 'Construction Time Again' in 1983 saw the sound of the group take a giant leap forward. Alan also contributed some of his own songs for the album as well as extra B-sides, although he would later admit that he felt obliged to participate in the songwriting process despite the fact that it didn't come naturally to him. His strength lay in the placement of sounds and the structuring of the music and his upbringing and exposure to classical orchestration was most certainly a factor in this.



As well as the introduction of samplers, one of the most noticeable changes to the Depeche sound at this time was a move away from it's pure pop beginnings towards a darker realisation. Having taken over the job of songwriting after Vince Clarke's departure, Martin was developing his own lyrical style and gaining in confidence. Coupled with psuedo-religious themes of guilt and redemption, he began to flirt with sexual androgyny whilst Alan capitalised on these ambiguities, seizing his opportunity to initiate what had long been his desire for a more mature, multi-dimentional sound.