SF Concert Reviews: Tei Shi Hipnotizes San Francisco Crowd

When I arrived at the Warfield in San Francisco last night to check in for the Tei Shi show, I overheard some of the staff say: “Did you hear the Tei Shi soundcheck? She sounds amazing!” And boy were they right. When the singer — whose real name is actually Valerie Teicher — hit the stage, she began a performance laced with gorgeous melodies, funky electropop beats, and dreamy vocals, to a crowd that ended up completely hypnotized by the end of her set.

Tei Shi is an Argentine indie pop singer-songwriter and producer currently based in Brooklyn that’s been getting a lot of buzz recently with her hit song “Bassically.” It’s a song that she closed her show with and was one of the most intense moments of the night. The combination of the Robert Plant-esque Kashmir melodies that were effortlessly coming out of her, coupled with the authenticity and passion of her vocal showed some serious musical prowess, sure to make the up-and-coming songstress into a regular household name.

It’s hard to categorize Tei Shi’s music. At times she’s reminiscent of a young Sade at others appears to be channeling some Morcheeba or even Massive Attack. She was quoted in an article as jokingly describing her work as its own genre, “mermaid music”. In an interview with NY Mag, she stated: “personally it’s always hard for me to label it as a genre because it shifts and I try to make music that isn’t one thing or the other.”

I’m not sure there’s really a need to label this artist. Last night’s audience was too busy getting lost in the dreamy vibe of her performance, mesmerized by her voice and the slow grooves that were emanating from the stage. What a great way to put the week to bed before having to hit that snooze button on Monday morning.

Stand out tracks: Keep Running, Bassically

Photos Courtesy of Louis Raphael Photography