This paper exhibits fundamental structure underlying Lie algebra homology with coefficients in tensor products of the adjoint representation, mostly focusing upon the case of free Lie algebras. The main result yields a DG category that is constructed from the PROP associated to the Lie operad. Underlying this is a two-term complex of bimodules over this PROP; it is a quotient of the universal Chevalley-Eilenberg complex. The homology of this DG category is intimately related to outer functors over free groups (introduced in earlier joint work with Vespa). This uses the author's previous results relating functors on free groups to representations of the PROP associated to the Lie operad. This gives a direct algebraic explanation as to why the degree one homology should correspond to an outer functor. Hitherto, the only known argument relied upon the relationship with the higher Hochschild homology functors that arise from the work of Turchin and Willwacher.

18 pages. Comments welcome