Every two years I offer the same soliloquy: Souvenir remain one of the most criminally unsung outfits in the world. Maybe criminal is overstatement. I am opposed to any indictments pertaining to the curious case of the Pamplona-raised duo who croon in multiple romance languages and recall something resembling a surf rock Spanish Stereolab.
Their bio one-liner calls them “blonde electro with sexy guitars.” Nothing wrong with that, and while Lætitia Sadier and company stay on sabbatical with options, it should leave Souvenir as vanguards of driving disco-tinged pop. I don’t typically ride for this sort of thing, but Souvenir trump personal taste. Alas, Iberian indie Jabalina Music won’t replace 4AD for marketing muscle, so the duo of J’aime Cristobal and Patricia De La Fuente idle domestically as the token popist embrace of a few random champions.
The great Dom Passantino, he of Warren Zevon and N.W.A. fervor, first put us up on juego in the Stylus days when we slapped Souvenir’s 64 with a Stylus Recommends. Since then, they’ve dropped a pair of records including this year’s stellar Travelogues, which continues their reign of sleek strobelite grooves. Because they receive my vote for the greatest Gallic-inclined, Spanish synth-pop group of all time, I asked them to contribute a mix to the Passion of the Weiss’ Mix Series. They were gracious enough to drop this mix of Madonna, Bo Diddley, unreleased remixes and alternate versions of their own work. Plus, a half dozen other tracks I’ve never heard. Something to remember them by.
Download:
ZIP: Passion of the Weiss Mix Series — Volume 4: Souvenir
Watch: Souvenir on Spanish TV
Tracklist:
1. Souvenir – Arrête-toi
2. The New York Models – Hot For You
3. Souvenir – Les Surfeurs (Italo Mix)
4. Madonna – Gambler
5. Bo Diddley – Bo’s Bounce
6. Souvenir – Taboo
7. The Twins – Face to Face Heart to Heart
8. Souvenir – Talk to Me
9. Florrie – Left Too Late
10. epilogue: Alizée – A quoi rêve une jeune fille
