Taraddud - EP
Released: Sep 22, 2025
Wailing sirens, banging metal, squeaking bicycle wheels, and the voices of passerby and street hawkers make up a key part of the musical language on Taraddud, Youssra El Hawary’s new EP. In her first release since her 2017 debut No’oum Nasyeen, the Cairo songwriter and sound designer layers in field recordings of her home city alongside intricate arrangements of jazz, folk, and ambient music, creating a unique sound that captures the Egyptian capital’s maddening and transfixing draw.
Produced with the support of The Arab Fund For Arts & Culture AFAC 2022
No’oum Nasyeen - Album
Released: Dec 7, 2017
This album is the culmination of five years of hard-work (and a fair share of play) by the band. It also features Youssra’s first collaboration with producer and mixer Adham Zidan whose input to the project added a lot to the arrangements of the band. Zidan helped develop the music without compromising its soul and essence, thereby producing it in the best form possible.
A primary characteristic of this project is the collaborative spirit which drove its progress from the very beginning, starting with the inspired group of musicians that make up the band. Their passion and ambition as they worked together with Youssra for years allowed their music to evolve, as they came to develop a deeper understanding of their own instruments and create a collective sound for the band as a whole.
This spirit guided how the album should be funded as well. A large part of the production expenses of this album came through contributions by friends and fans via a crowdfunding campaign launched specifically for this purpose. This makes No’oum Nasyeen the first album to be funded by the Egyptian audience after several similar successful projects in other regions of the Arab world. The choice to produce the album through crowdfunding allowed the band to ensure their independence and left no room for musical compromise set by the market or production companies.
Produced with the support of The Arab Fund For Arts & Culture AFAC 2016
