Abbas Sharif Alaskari on Between Two Worlds and His Next Musical Chapter

 


After a decade as the lead guitarist of Desert Echoes, Abbas Sharif Alaskari is turning his attention to a solo project: Between Two Worlds. The British guitarist, composer, and music producer describes it as a reflection of his musical evolution and his experiences in the UAE.

The title captures the path of an artist who began developing his performance skills in London, immersed himself in Middle Eastern musical traditions in Dubai, and has now returned to the UK. Also known as Ali Sherif Al Askari, Abbas continues to explore how Arabic melodies and Western rock can come together in his music.

The Story Behind the Title

Between Two Worlds refers to more than two places. It also describes the musical influences that have shaped Abbas’s work. Contemporary performance and rock guitar formed one part of his journey; the melodic traditions he explored in Dubai became another.

Abbas is particularly interested in Arabic maqam and its expressive possibilities on the guitar. Maqam gives a musician ways to develop a melody through characteristic notes and phrases. Progressive rock, meanwhile, offers space for changing arrangements and shifts in intensity. Abbas’s work brings those approaches into the same composition.

His solo project gives him room to explore that relationship from a personal perspective. While he has not provided a track list or release date for Between Two Worlds, he identifies it as an ongoing project inspired by his time in the UAE.

The Decade That Shaped His Sound

Before focusing on solo work, Abbas spent 2013 to 2023 with Desert Echoes, the Dubai-based fusion rock band he co-founded. As its lead guitarist, he helped develop music that blended Arabic melodies with progressive rock elements. According to his artist profile, the group released three studio albums.

Ten years in a band gave Abbas a sustained setting for his musical ideas. A melody developed on the guitar could become part of a larger arrangement, shaped by the contributions of other musicians. Desert Echoes was where his interest in connecting Middle Eastern and Western sounds became a central part of his work.

Abbas’s earlier timeline also lists Sands of Time from 2008 to 2012. Together, those chapters show a musician whose path to solo work has included years of playing and creating within groups.

Finding Expression on the Guitar

The guitar remains central to Abbas’s approach. In his writing about Arabic scales, he discusses maqamat including Hijaz, Nahawand, and Rast, along with techniques that can help a guitarist bring greater expression to a phrase.

Bends and vibrato can change how a note is approached and sustained. Legato can connect notes in a flowing line. A passage can begin quietly and build into a more forceful rock solo. Abbas uses these possibilities to explore melody as well as technical skill.

That interest helps explain the direction of Between Two Worlds. The project grows from years spent considering how a guitar can carry ideas drawn from different musical traditions while retaining a sound that feels personal.

A New Setting for a Continuing Idea

Moving from a band to a solo project changes the creative process. With Between Two Worlds, Abbas can draw on the experiences that shaped Desert Echoes while choosing the direction of the music under his own name.

His work as a producer and music educator adds another dimension to this chapter. Abbas helps aspiring musicians find their own sound, an aim closely connected to his own journey across styles and places. Exploring influences is part of making music; deciding how to express them is what makes an artist’s work distinctive.

Between Two Worlds is still in progress, so its finished sound remains to be heard. What is clear from Abbas Sharif Alaskari’s career so far is the idea driving it: a continuing search for ways to bring Middle Eastern melody and the energy of rock into the same musical space.

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