Well, relax friend. This kind of thing happens even if you're a legendary DJ, emcee, producer and futurist with a mad lyrical flow from the raw side of Oakland, Calif.

Just ask Del Tha Funkee Homosapien. He's rarely away from the computer for long.

"Toshiba never intended my laptop to use XP," Del said, of his struggles with home recording. "It was designed to be used with Vista, but a lot of (software issues) were left unsaid.

"I tried to get the drivers from Toshiba," he said. "I'm looking all over the (gosh darn) Internet for weeks, days in and day out. I'm literally up all night and passing out during the day, trying to find some (appropriate plug-ins). This is like the last three weeks."

The Juneau show is the seventh of 19 stops, and the first of three in Alaska, on the "Calm Before The Storm" tour. The run started July 5 in Salt Lake City and also hits Anchorage; Homer; Nelson, British Columbia; and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. It's the pre-party before the Oct. 2 release of "11th Hour," Del's first solo album in seven years.

"I tried to keep it simple: boom-bap kind of (material)," Del said. "I wanted to keep a hip-hop vibe, and recapture what was so dope about some of the records that we've listened to before. They didn't have all that extra (stuff), but for some reason it's way more captivating than some of the (albums) now. I wanted to get back to that."

"The 11th Hour" was once rumored to be released in 2005. Fans got a sneak peek last fall in the "11th Hour" DVD, an assortment of live footage, studio effluvia and clips of him hanging out back home in Richmond, Calif. (just outside of Oakland).

"I've been using the computer since I was a kid," Del said. "Once I started figuring out they were making music on computers, I was like, 'OK, this is what I need to learn.

"Why would I need a regular-ass drum machine?" he said. "It can't even do half the (things) that the (audio software) Kontakt can do. And everything is visual on the computer. I can see what I'm doing.

"It's a whole new ball game," he said. "I used to have to go to the studio to record. At this point, I don't have to do that no more. I've learned how to mix my (tracks) so I can give it to my engineer, and he can take it to the studio."

Bukue One, Del's manager, has toured Alaska before. But this is Del's first trip to the state. Late last week, he jokingly said he expected Alaska to be like Chilly Willy, the classic cartoon about the talking, stocking-clad penguin who supposedly lived in Alaska.

In truth, he's trying hard not to formulate any expectations of the state at all.

"No need to speculate," Del said. "I don't really make any pre-conceived notions; I find that it doesn't play. I'll see it for myself, and I'm going to try to soak a little bit of it in."

Del, aka Teren Delvon Jones, was born Aug. 12, 1972, in Oakland. He's Ice Cube's cousin, and by 1990 he was writing for Cube's crew, Da Lench Mob.

Del released his solo debut, "I wish My Brother George Was Here," the next year on Elektra. It included the hit, "Mistadobalina," but he wasn't satisfied with the overall sound.

Del went out on his own, away from Cube's umbrella, and released "No Need For Alarm" in 1993. This time he was darker, experimenting more with vocal processing and on board with his own crew, Hieroglyphics.

That wasn't good enough for Elektra, which soon dropped him. But that may have been the inspiration he needed.

As computer-based composing became more and more accessible, Del engrossed himself the emerging technology.

"Really, I just want to take what I can do with music further," Del said. "I started out as a DJ, so I have a good ear. I know how to make (things) blend together, but I didn't really know what I was doing. I wanted to get more of a handle on the tools that I have as an artist."

Del also created Hieroglyphics Imperium, an independent label and a pioneer of sorts in indie music marketing on the Internet.

In 1998, Del released the Web-only "Future Development" and the Hieroglyphics came out with their debut, "3rd Eye Vision." His stature on the independent scene soared, as did his vision.

"Both Sides of The Brain," in 2000, pushed beats to the electronic envelope. That same year, he came out with "Deltron 3030," an expansive, mind-blowing space opera concept album about life in the 31st century.

A few months later, he burst into mainstream prominence for his work on "Clint Eastwood" and "Rock the House," two of the singles on the first Gorillaz album.

Since then, Del's side projects have been so varied, he's one of those guys that's widely bootlegged all over the Internet. He doesn't have a problem with that.

"It lets me know people like my (music) and it's worth trying to get," he said. "It's cool. If I need any of my (tracks), I can get it real quick on the Internet."

Del also is known for his incomprehensibly extensive musical collection. In interviews, he's claimed to own every single hip-hop album released since 1985. Lately, he's been listening almost obsessively to Petey Crack, Thyme 1 and the old-school Philadelphia crew Three Times Dope.

"Petey Crack, I've been wondering about that dude," Del said. "I knew he was kind of raw, and I heard some (good things) about him. I came across his mix tape ('The Grudge'), and this dude is raw. His lyrics are hella dope. I'm pumping his (music) all the time."

"I don't have a problem with (downloading), because I know that one day I'll have the money and the means to get the (CDs at the store)," he said. "Some (stuff) you can't buy, like that Three Times Dope. You either can't get it, or you're not going to find it."

What can the Marlintini's crowd expect on July 12?

"You'll hear some of the new album," Del said. "I do kick a few Deltron songs, just for the hell of it. I sprinkle a little bit of the Gorillaz. Sometimes I freestyle, just so people see where I'm at. I try to mix all that in there, everything I've been doing."

• Korry Keeker can be reached at 523-2268 or korry.keeker@juneauempire.com