Stream Dzang’s Ethereal, Genre-Defiant Lotion LP

Last month, we premiered the first single off of Los Angeles-based artist Dzang's Lotion LP, "Ima Get Em Like." While the track's collaboration-heavy production is an accurate representation of Dzang's overall process, it won't prepare you for the sheer expanse of his second album. Songs veer from ambient musings to pop-inflected electronica, varying in style and in length. "Need Tongue" runs nearly eight minutes while the glistening closing track "Made It" clocks in at just 47 seconds. Lotion's cross-genre acrobatics aren't about flexing, but about crafting a sonic tapestry that keeps you guessing.

In an email to The FADER, Dzang explained how the album's shape-shifting vibe is a direct result of how he works. "My way of making Dzang records is pretty unpredictable: I bring a band together, ask them to play whatever they want, and edit/sample it all into discrete tracks," Dzang said. "I basically don’t know what the album is about or what the vibe will be until its done. I never could have 'written' Lotion by myself but playing openly with a great group of musicians generated it. For me, the record is about communication—between friends, bodies and lovers—and rhythmically reflects a comedown catharsis. I think its a sort of mixtape about waking up to yourself." Stream the album in its entirety exclusively on The FADER before it drops via his record label, Dzang Recs, on November 20.