De la Revolución Threw a Music-Filled Fête With Some Help From Arlo Parks, Flea, and Giveon During Frieze LA

The Locale: Frieze may bring the art world out to LA in numbers, but on Sunday, the city reminded us that it’s still the heart of the music industry the other 51 weeks out of the year. An intimate dinner took over Santa Monica Proper, a design hotel favored by record execs and art collectors alike, as part of their event series Proper Presents. No genre restrictions here—stars of rock, pop, and R&B showed out for the event, thrown by De La Revolución, a creative agency working with photographers, directors, stylists, and more across New York and LA.

The Crowd: Movers and shakers from the worlds of music, fashion, art, and literature stepped out for the evening, hosted by director and founder of De La Revolución Melina Matsoukas. Other attendees included author and chair emeritus of the Human Rights Campaign Jodie Patterson, agency partner Suneeta Olympio, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, singer-songwriter Arlo Parks, R&B star Giveon, beauty guru and singer Roxette Arisa, designers Melody Ehsani and Clare Vivier, writer and activist Darnell L. Moore, Skims Executive Vice President and Ami Cole Founder Diarrha N’Diaye, and Zócalo Public Square Director of Public Programs Bianca Collins.

The Scene: Matsoukas has a long career directing music videos (do the names Beyoncé, Rihanna, Solange, Lady Gaga, Ne-Yo, and Ciara ring any bells?), so of course the evening drew music biz hot shots right alongside photographers, writers, and fashion designers. The cross-industry chatter alone was enough to keep attendees in the room long after sunset. 

Food and Drink: Refreshments were both seasonal and mouthwatering. The evening started off with house-baked bread topped by pistachio and ash honey butter before a winter chicory salad and hamachi crudo. The third course featured sea bass with fig and scallion salsa verde as well as Bavette steak with black garlic jus. For dessert, LA simply had to show off its seasonal fruit selection alongside a saffron tres leches with candied pistachios.

Arlo Parks and Dannah Gottleib

William Hazel and Flea

Shaniqwa Jarvis, Laron Howard, and Clare Vivier

child., Melodie McDaniel, and Yashua Simmons

Melody Ehsani and Melina Matsoukas

Flea and Giveon

Suneeta Olympio, Clare Vivier, Jodie Patterson, and Rebecca Roberts

Melina Matsoukas, Abdi Ibrahim, Suneeta Olympio, and Melodie McDaniel