He’ll start closer to home with a single U.S. gig at the Mayan Nightclub in Los Angeles May 25. Then it’s off to the U.K. to kick off a club tour with Bay Area rappers Keak Da Sneak and Turf Talk, both of whom appear on the first single from Shadow’s new album.

The song, “3 Freaks,” has been making its way around the Web since last year, and signals a new direction for Shadow, whose previous albums have been essentially instrumental efforts.

No release date is set for Shadow’s new disc, but the producer/DJ recently revealed that it has been completed and is titled The Outsider.

“In some ways it’s a risky record,” Shadow said in a post on his official Web site. “It’s going to turn some people off. And I think I’ll lose some fans. On the other hand, I know I’ll gain some new ones. That’s a fair trade in my mind. Besides, I can’t see playing it safe at this point in my life.”

The Shadow/Keak/Turf tour will hit clubs in the U.K., Holland, Portugal, Belgium and Spain from June 8-16. After playing both days of the Wireless Festival in London and Leeds, Shadow will fly to Australia and New Zealand in July for the Splendour In The Grass festival and a series of theatre dates.

In August, he’ll play Singapore and visit Japan for the two-day Summer Sonic fest. Then it’s back to Europe for a round of festivals and club gigs, including three shows in Germany with Massive Attack.

The tour dates are Shadow’s first since a 2004 stretch with Blackalicious, Lyrics Born and Lifesavas. His last world tour took place in 2002 and resulted in the live In Tune And On Time CD/DVD.

The Outsider will be Shadow’s first studio album since 2002’s The Private Press.