The Egyptian electronic duo TooFuse, based in Cairo, have released their debut album Earth after performing at the Arabesques Music Forum in Montpellier, France.
Released on 18 September, the six-track album compiles material created over the past two years through individual releases, live shows and experimentation across Egypt, North Africa, the Gulf and Europe.
Duo and album background#
TooFuse is made up of longtime collaborators Ahmed Omar and Nour Ashour. Their work pairs electronic production with live instrumentation and improvisation.
Omar plays bass and electronic instruments. Ashour plays saxophone, flute, panpipes and percussion. The project also draws on instruments such as the guembri, krar, oud and guitar.
The two musicians have worked together in various bands and projects for more than two decades. TooFuse began as a vehicle for their own compositions, first with a larger ensemble and later with electronic production at the centre of the project.
Earth is the first time the duo have collected their material into a full album.
Seascapes, deserts and open spaces recur across the record and the duo’s visual work. The title track centres on the Earth and its forms of life.
Omar, who has Egyptian and Eritrean heritage, has brought African instruments including the krar and guembri into the project. “That’s home. That’s memory,” he has said of his connection to those sounds.
Ashour grew up in Alexandria, where the Mediterranean and the sea became recurring references in his music and visual work.
Live approach and performances#
TooFuse’s live sets combine recorded material with improvisation. Saxophone, bass and other instruments move between the foreground and background, and sections can be extended or reshaped during a show.
“We wanted to present electronic music in a different way,” Ashour said in an earlier interview. “We are neither DJs nor ordinary musicians.”
The duo developed much of their material through performances in Egypt. Those shows have included:
- Dahab
- Sharm El Sheikh
- Cairo
- Alexandria
- Al Alamein Festival
- Fête de la Musique in Cairo and Alexandria
- Aswat Festival
- Chill O’Posite
- Cairo Jazz Club 610
International appearances have included Visa for Music in Rabat, Morocco, in November 2025 and XP Music Futures in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the following month.
Arabesques Music Forum#
At the Arabesques Music Forum, TooFuse performed alongside Tunisian artist Azal and Palestinian group Al Kalsaat. The three-day forum brought together artists and music professionals from Mediterranean countries.
