Real Magic happens at Tigalo block party redo

"A tigalo is what happens when a tiger and a buffalo get funky together," explains Matthew Brown, owner of Fancy Tiger Clothing (and the partner of Jaime Jennings, who runs Fancy Tiger Crafts), which recently settled into new digs on Broadway alongside the craft store and Buffalo Exchange, which has moved from its longtime storefront on East 13th Avenue. The stretch of 51-59 Broadway has now been dubbed "Tigalo."

"People are very excited about what's happening in Denver and especially on South Broadway right now," Brown notes. "There's a lot of support for small businesses growing and moving forward."

To celebrate the openings, Tigalo threw a block party on Friday night, rescheduled from the previous Friday because of the snowstorm. Fancy Tiger, which specializes in handmade and eclectic garments and accessories, and Buffalo Exchange, which is the hip go-to for vintage, have improved the range and diversity of their products, and they now have more floor space to accommodate the new merchandise. And dancing, at least on party nights.

Denver-based electronica artist Real Magic performed a forty-minute set at Fancy Tiger Clothing at 10 p.m., and definitely got the crowd moving. Real Magic is the moniker of 26-year-old singer/producer/artist Drew Englander, who rolled around on stage, jumped into the audience, and started crowd-moshing with onlookers. Inspired equally by "orchestras, epic film scores, Shoegaze, R&B, Grime and a wide range of bass-centric club music," he says, his songs are at once danceable and emotional.

Englander began experimenting with electronic music during his years in art school, using the ideas he'd developed within his visual and performance work as a conceptual basis for Real Magic. In 2009 he started fleshing out his musical vision more seriously, driven by the desire to affect people on an experiential level.

You can catch Real Magic again at the Larimer Lounge on Saturday, March 3.

As for more entertainment at Tigalo, Brown would like to see a slew of soirees at the joint venture in the months to come. "Buffalo and the Fancies have been hanging out for years," he says. "Not to mention, we have a nice-sized shared parking lot that is just oozing potential."

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