OPERAM MUSICI
(an historical sampler 1992-2013)

On the songs of this special album, from 1992 to 2013 the thoughts, deeds, words, music and muzak of Lonsai Maïkov were embodied by :
Thierry Jolif (a.k.a TJM, TPRJ, Master Jolifeu) and Mathieu Broquerie (music, vocals, guitars, piano, bass, keyboards, programming, flutes, thin whistles and so much more) with : Erwan Cosyns (second guitar on " Four wild stallions "), Mathias Dufil (guitar, " From the fountain " songs), Stéphane Roland (words on " I met Alien "), Alan Souquet (drawings, artwork, music and guitar on " The Sword and the torch "), Régis Taillandier (electric guitar on " Warhorse " and sound engineer on " From the Fountain ").

All lyrics by T.Jolif excepted " I met an Alien " by S. Roland, " Stormbringer " by M. Broquerie/T.Jolif,
All music by Lonsai Maïkov excepted " Stormbringer " by M. Broquerie (originally for Stormcore)
Recorded and mixed mostly at Pagan Portable Studio-s 42, 30 and 17 … by The Great Dukes with Camille Plivareox and A.A. Le Cevaer
Mastered in Wisconsin, U.S.A, Janus/uary 2023 by Nathaniel Ritter.

This is the true muzickalstory of //Lonsai+Maïkov//
(a selfish project overwhelmed by passion, love, spiritual friendship and common work.)

" Operam Musici " began where our commemorative album " XXX - Music is my soul, music is my religion " (Luce Sia, 2018) ends, with some crossroads among the past years. This evocative web more imaginal than realistic, perfectly fits our Magick views of the world, chronology and art throughout Muzick.

" The Quick, the dead, the blood and the wine " was one of our first semi-pro cassette album after many crafty, hand-made cassette projects, it was also the first one to be more " dark folk " oriented even if experimental, cold and noise were never far away. This cassette album was also the real firstfruits of what I thought as our CD trilogy " From the Fountain ", " Our Lady of the bones " and " Fire ". The plan was clear but, obviously the two seconds would not have been the same without the meeting with Mathieu Broquerie. This soul friendship, this communion in life, art and spirituality has grown like a divine suprise, like an inner cosmic expansion.
This unexpected but obvious brotherhood bathed and inspired every new shapes in Lonsai 's art. It's already obvious in " Like a Rose " on " Our Lady of the bones " and this appears in its full potential in the arrangements Mats did for " The Last solitary hunt " on " Fire ". But, as we stay faithfull to our love of apophatic theology, this potential is a beginning which begins by end without ending and our common feeling of this reality shines in " The magikal glorious days and the darkest bleeding hours of the soul " from " Thee Darkening ov Powers " and our extensive endless work on some of our favorite songs, like " Stormbringer " (from the same album) or more symbolic " A Burned village " (the first song on which Mathieu collaborates) that turned to know through the years many, many versions (and two great covers by metal bands, the French Sadastor and American L'Acéphale) and finally ended as " The Red knowledge " on our album 10246 in 2022 (four years after Mathieu's birth to heaven).
But, obviously some other important relationships have been a benevolent glue and powerful support to the tiny existence of Lonsai Maïkov.
Alan S. is my best friend since we were 10 years old. He is the first co-member of LM by his drawings, and then music. " The sword and the torch " is important to me for it is the first total collaboration between Mathieu, Alan and I.
Stéphane Roland (my frater Stiam since the 90's) did the lyrics for " I met an Alien ", but he also was the bass player for the second concert of LM and through decades had always been and still is a pillar of love for this strange entity.
Erwan Cosyns since many years had been a positive creative inspiration by his support, his sensibility and his guitaristic talent (over many others). So, it was clear that we have to give on this album a demo version of " Four Wild stallions " (from " Fire ") rearranged by Mathieu for a live session and on which Erwan did guitar parts while Mathieu sang my lyrics.

The music we make is not ours, nor yours, it is a captured but however free testimony of chaos, life, passions, light, and darkness, love and hate, sins and virtues in a short and relative point of relative space and time.
This is, may be, the very best example of what is the essence of Lonsai Maikov from then til now, a selfish project overwhelmed by love, friendship and passion. This my personal path, enlightened by my spiritual pilgrimage with Alan, Stéphane and mostly Mathieu and that I will go on further with all my other kindred weirdoos.

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Through fog of memory and life Much love and many Blessings are due to my bros in Love is the Law : Alan, Stiam, Erwan
and also to :
Gilles (Le Synthi), Hervé Marcel, Mathias Dufil, Régis Taillandier, Nadia Vinagre, Kevin Abgrall, Fabas (+), Stéphane (Athanor), Olivier Ligot, Goulven Quentel (+), Ramon, Zardoz, Gael Helary, Tarik, Aurélien Lemant, David Mancilla, Jean-Louis Costes, the mysterious Logan/Belathauzer/Neitheresque and Roxanne, Saphi, Rodolfo P., Lus, Jean-Gabriel, Julien, Medhi, Rom1, Garance, my sister Rach, Erwan and Mu, Fafy, Didier Ambact, Greg Legouic, Michel and Emilie, Nebojsa Bacic, Aima, Flap, Clay Ruby, Nathaniel Ritter, Piotr, Gosha S. …
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This very special album is obviously very especialy dedicated to my parents Denise and Roger,
my lovely sister Fabienne and my sweet bro in law Thierry, our lovely heirs Malo, Lucas and Enora
and to my heart & soul family Fanchon, Yves, Alain and their lovely heirs...
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I hope you will understand and your listening will guide you in this story of ours which is a story for All
full of magick & weird relationships, joy, darkness & sadness, melancholy, nostalgia, respect to the God(es-ses),
to the spirits of the past and future and above all LOVE …
HAIL ! BLESS ! AMIN !
Frater Theud / TP+RJ+M(asterFeu) /Janus/uarY + MMXXIII