El-Dabh produced eight electronic pieces in 1959 alone, including his multi-part electronic musical drama "Leiyla and the Poet", which is considered a classic of the genre and was later released in 1964 on the LP record "Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center". His musical style was a contrast to the more mathematical compositions of Milton Babbitt and other serial composers working at the center, with El-Dabh's interest in ethnomusicology and the fusion of folk music with electronic sounds making his work stand out for its originality. According to El-Dabh: "The creative process comes from interacting with the material. When you are open to ideas and thoughts the music will come to you." In contrast to his peers (such as Otto Luening, John Cage, and La Monte Young) who sounded, according to "The Stranger", more like "math equations (artists out to prove a point) than actual music," El-Dabh's experimental electronic music were "more shapely and rhythmic constructions" that incorporated traditional stringed and percussion sounds, inspired by folk music traditions (including the Egyptian and Native American traditions).