The world-renowned Avalon runs on full force each Friday night – a perfect way to kick off the weekend. The sublime nightclub sets itself apart by presenting the latest festival talent with Hollywood club-goers into their notorious Control Fridays. This week we went waaay up (and felt blessed) with Hermitude as they performed alongside AWE and Madeaux for a show that felt challenging in creativity, something different than what we might usually find on a Friday night in SoCal.

Photography by Oh Dag Yo

The vibe was right from the get go as Control Friday’s resident DJ Sam Hiller set the mood for an excited audience. Once Fool's Gold artist Madeaux hit the decks we knew it was time to get weird. He fed us a ton of futuristic dance tracks with a deep soul-induced vibe. There was a heavy deep house influence throughout his set but he was able to create something a bit different with the odd kick drum patterns and jungle-esque rhythms. Tracks from his latest New Wave EP always hits the spot when it comes to an exciting set from this Los Angeles native.

Anyone who has ever attended Avalon would agree that the main stage sets a uniquely captivating atmosphere. Its production ignites energy into the attendees while the sound could be felt from every corner of the club. This particular night hosted a ton of Aussies, which came as no surprise considering Hermitude’s massive following from back home. In comparison to a Flume show, we have definitely noticed that our mates from down under love supporting hometown heroes and they can usually go just as hard as the typical LA fam-its-lit boi.

We knew Hermitude was on once everyone packed into the crowd with an Australian flag being waved around the front. We squaded our way to middle of the action as Hermitude began what felt like a quest into the world of entrancing Australian beat music. They played a majority of their latest Dark Night Sweet Light record on top of jams from the classic Hyper Paradise. Their take on live performance created a much more impacting performance; the audience showed a ton of respect for the boys. The visual projections of their live synth action aided to the incredible energy of Hermitude’s headlining performance.

Finally AWE took his vengeance on the club for his afterhours performance. The 21-year-old producer has been taking Los Angeles’s beat scene by storm with his ability to produce some of the most forward-thinking bass music around. His skills have earned him a home in the notorious Team Supreme beat collective alongside Djemba Djemba and Mr. Carmack. Hot off of his tour with Kill The Noise and supporting dates with Hudson Mohawke, AWE stepped on Avalon’s stage ready to throw down one of the most vicious sets of the night.

His performance fit well with Control’s energy and impressed those with a more sophisticated taste in EDM. The set revolved around trap music but also revealed a unique niche through his original music and selections such as Rustie. The entire set felt intimate in song selection yet larger than life with his mixing abilities. Overall it was a satisfying way to end a Friday night at Control and I look forward to my next encounter with these artists.