Dru Ali
DJ Hyphen Select
Dru Ali aka DJ Hyphen Select is a sonic alchemist with over 3 decades of experience curating transformative musical journeys. Known for his ability to seamlessly blend genres, he crafts sets that transcend the ordinary, weaving deep bass, global rhythms, and ethereal melodies into immersive, multidimensional soundscapes. A true pioneer in fusing music with mindfulness, his performances bridge the gap between high-energy festival stages and introspective wellness spaces. A collaborator with groundbreaking projects such as Sacred Liiight, Parallel, Mental Physix, and Deep Dub Bass Yoga, he redefines the art of DJing, where every set becomes a portal to new adventures in sound…
Origins
In the early 1990s Dru stepped into the culture as a breakdancer with the Fraggle Rock Breakers, then quickly found his voice on the airwaves, freestyling on the legendary Roll Call show hosted by the Baka Boyz on Power 106. Hip-hop was the foundation, but the underground was the ecosystem where everything expanded.
In 1996, he launched Tha Landz, one of the first websites in the world to stream full albums of underground hip-hop and jungle mixtapes, which was something unheard of during the dial-up internet era that connected thousands of listeners to sounds they couldn’t find anywhere else. By 1997, he began collaborating with MC OOZI in S.N.I.P.A.H. Squad, performing at warehouse parties and spinning jungle, drum & bass, and underground hip-hop across Southern California.
In 1998, he joined forces with the hip-hop collective Parallel as an MC and producer, launching a two-decade run of albums, shows, and collaborations that would take him onto stages with Wu-Tang Clan, Arrested Development, The Beatnuts, Ras Kass, Aceyalone, Pep Love, and many more.
Born from the collision of West Coast hip-hop cyphers, warehouse jungle sessions, and the first wave of deep dubstep, his approach became a raw mix of bass pressure, underground blends, and crate-digger instincts. His 1998 mixtape Hi Tech Style and 1999 album Digital Wasteland with Parallel, captured this early fusion and showcased a sound that was both experimental and unmistakably ahead of the curve.
Evolution
In 2012, Dru attended Shakti Fest for the first time...a turning point that opened a new chapter of collaboration with Mental Physix and performances at Bhakti Fest, Lightning in a Bottle, Lucidity, Symbiosis, Sedona Yoga Festival, Telluride Yoga Festival, Great SLC Yoga Fest, Denver Yoga Festival, Festival of Colors & Santa Fe Yoga Festival.
During this period, he also began DJing yoga and meditation classes nationwide, creating intentional, multi-genre journeys that blended breath-led soundscapes with downtempo bass, global rhythms, and bhakti beats, bridging his underground roots with the transformational spaces that he was being drawn toward.
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By 2017, Dru expanded his collaborative landscape again, this time with Sacred Liiight, blending Light-based technologies with live DJ journeys, meditation classes, and sound baths at festivals such as Big Bear Yoga Festival, Joshua Tree Music Festival, Serenity Gathering, SamsaraFest & NextFest.
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In 2018, his sound entered an even more bass-centric era through his work with Deep Dub Bass Yoga, performing at large-scale festivals including Bass Canyon, Lost Lands, Okeechobee Festival, Paradise Blue, EDC & Nocturnal Wonderland, bridging wellness, bass culture, and immersive movement-based experiences at a whole new scale.
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Throughout this evolution, Dru continued sharing musical space with teachers such as Evelyn Dao, Scott Winslow, Anton Mackey, Cristi Christensen, Sianna Sherman, Mark Whitwell, Katie Brauer, Tymi Howard, Kumi Yogini, and Dharma Shakti, as well as co-creating live art experiences with Cryptik Movement, Mear One, Hex, Jeff Soto, Mark Whelan, and others.
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Today, his sound blends deep bass, downtempo grooves, tribal rhythms, global bass, ambient layers, ecstatic movement music, soulful house, bhakti beats, reggae, and dubstep into a unified sonic experience. Each set unfolds as a ceremonial journey...part movement, part meditation, all transformation.
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Dru’s mission is to carry the spirit of the festival into mindful spaces, inviting people to feel the same openness, freedom, and emotional release that festivals awaken. This is the refined version of his artistry: intentional, multi-dimensional, rooted in movement, and guided by the unseen.
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In the end, his sets are portals...where rhythm becomes a guide, vibration becomes a teacher, and every listener steps into a moment that awakens them.
Offerings
Past Festivals
