New Release: SIMA Compilation ‘Module 2: Emerge’

This review has been a while coming – Sino-Indian Musical Alliance (a.k.a. SIMA) released their second compilation album – ‘Module 2: Emerge’ just before the New Year while the team here at Wild City was on holiday, post the madness of Magnetic Fields. The coalition of artists, labels and promoters was formed in 2014 by Audio Pervert, Hashback Hashish and Beijing label Sinotronics as a cultural bridge between two of the world’s most rapidly developing countries.

We only just had the chance to listen to the alternative electronic eight-track compilation, a successor to last year’s album ‘Module 1: Oscillate’, which we loved (read our review here).

Minimal techno producer Hashback Hashish and FAR/∞ are both back for round two along with a slew of first time SIMA contributors including _RHL, Hybrid Protokol and 5Volts as well as Menghan (who came for an India tour last year with Dead J), Nara and JFI, all of whom reside west of the border.

Flowing in a similar vein to its predecessor, ‘Module 2: Emerge’ explores (predictably) experimental electronic music that tends to favour a darker atmosphere. _RHL (Consolidate founder and one half of Sulk Station) jumps in on the footwork party with the supremely solid ‘Till Then’, followed by a couple of collaborative tracks by Delhi based minimal techno producer Hashback Hashish with Kolkata’s 5Volts on the unpronounceable ‘H(CHB11Cl11)’ and with dark ambient beatmaker Jamblu on the surprisingly uptempo ‘Hypocrite’. Kolkata’s Hybrid Protokol contributes with the metallic melodies of ‘Bella’, while the Sino half of SIMA delivers with some stellar tunes by FAR/∞ (‘Hanging In The Air), Nara, on the earworm (and fun to say out loud) ‘Guangchanwu Takkyubin’ and Menghan who closes the album with the beautifully sparse ‘Unveil’.

‘Module 2: Emerge’ sounds surprisingly coherent for a compilation album created countries apart by a bunch people who’ve barely (if at all) met each other. Its sound caters for a small audience of niche-electronic music lovers but what it lacks in accessibility it makes up for in quality of production. More than anything – SIMA encourages the kind of collaborations that the Indian music circuit so desperately needs. We’re exciting to see what they have in store for the rest of the year.

Listen to ‘Module 2: Emerge’ below in its entirety and buy the album here on Bandcamp. The album was initiated by Sinotronics, Audio Pervert and Hashback Hashish, and realized with the support and rosters of REProduce Artists, Vital Agency, and littlei via SIMA.