ГОМК - anonymous collective

ГОМК ANONBLOGS ARCHIVE (selected works)

This post archive reflects blog posts from the past from our past blog provider. It may or may not be up to date. We do not vouch for any of the external links, organizations, etc. mentioned below. Everything is there for educational and research purposes only. We strongly discourage any illegal activity.

Who We Are (24-02-2023)

The new laws of many countries are becoming increasingly paranoid and restrictive to the point where you need a government issued document to purchase items online or even comment and there's already so many threats to privacy in social media, e-commerce, and other popular online industries that even using a VPN on the internet is not enough and you can't use fake or borrowed personal information anymore unless you're some master hacker or carder. Clicking on a suspicious advertisment could mean seeing your private data being used for nefarious purposes. In addition, many people on popular social media websites are having their legal personal information exposed leading to harassment and murder. Or at the very least someone digs up their past using people search websites and reveals their criminal record or an old post with opinions perceived as offensive to some group. And also the government could target you if you go on certain websites.

To get away from this kind of oppressive environment, a lot of people rely on anonymity tools such as Tor Browser, mostly to engage in activities that are considered illict in their respective countries. For instance, these involve mind altering drugs, hacking services, banking information, social media account passwords, and even things like pornography and entertainment. But there are also independent journalists, whistleblowers, and even bloggers who just want to get away from the increasing censorship. Actually, there are also people who prefer to create content for those who are simply just interested in lighthearted entertainment without the sex and drugs. I would like to think that if you are going to be an anonymous (or at least pseudonymous) artist, you would not want your personal private info on the internet in public for all to see. We represent such types of content creators who aim to show the world our art while remaining as anonymous as possible. Many of us want to express our creativity without getting banned or targeted in the future for being ourselves. Not all of us are pretentious attention seekers who want to tell the world about where we live, where we work, or what we do when no one's looking.

Speaking of art there are many ways to distribute files of all kinds on the internet such as rapidshare, usenet, soulseek, torrent sites, etc but they aren't really completely anonymous. Also some files have been known to show the opposite of what the downloader wants, possibly leading to privacy and security issues. Some people have been immediately imprisoned simply for possessing certain kinds of illegal files. In Tor there is Onionshare, although you have to keep your computer on all the time to share files or a website to the public. That is why we rely on third party free file hosting, but the ones we choose tend to be anonymous no log types with no bad reputation for violating its rules. There are some file hosting services on Tor that have more than 1GB storage, but in cases of larger files we have to rely on clearnet services without size limits. We had to sacrifice some things and keep others for optimal performance and delivery.

To market this product effectively to appeal to a broader audience, we decided to put out new original music of diverse genres so that there's something for everyone from pop to rock to even noise. Not only that, we also like to see the interplay between these genres and show people how two or more different genres combine with each other to create a very unique kind of composition that can be appreciated by almost everyone. Also most of the music tends to be instrumental with very few spoken words but it makes up for it with its ever changing styles and catchy melodies. So no matter what you're into, you have the chance of finding your jam or kind of beats or whatever it is you like in a song. Best of all, it's absolutely free, without intrusive paywalls. We are completely dependent on Monero XMR donations from people who support us.

We never disclose any personally identifiable information about ourselves or anyone else we work with. We are not paid to do this, and we have no ties to any gang, business, political group, religious group or law enforcement groups. We are on our own without any external support whatsoever. If you have any inquiries about our products, our contact info is below. We will not respond to any message that isn't related to what we do and what we provide. We will also not respond to music or collaboration requests because we are not interested in working with other people outside our group. We are not accepting new members either. You can send us feedback on what we can do to improve our music and services.

Us and Them (20-08-2023)

In the past, a lot of musical groups and solo acts would be signed to labels if they were very popular and earned a lot of money from concert sales. However, once signed, these acts were only able to do what the contract they signed tells them to do, which is why so many that become popular put out more mainstream albums that may be different from their past output. Some faded away because they weren't able to make the desired amount of money to stay relevant. Fans would also have just as much or more high rigid expectations of these groups as does the label they're signed to, which can compromise their profitability. So, for us, it would be better to:

  1. Get away from these rules and ignore these expectations people have of us except our own for better creative output
  2. Understand that doing so would result in monetary loss and stagnancy, so put in a donation system as an alternative choice instead of begging for sales
  3. Do whatever we want while attempting to appeal to the public at the same time, which is actually somewhat difficult as not everyone will enjoy our works If you went to download and listen to the audio files you would notice that we tend to combine styles that are considered completely different from each other, even though there might be a favoring over one or the other. You never hear that in many pop and rock songs, and when you do, it is mostly short lived experimentation and the styles used tend to be more popular than obscure. What we're saying is that we have more freedom to experiment with a lot of things on here than if we were controlled by other entities, and that's what separates us from other musical acts that prefer to play only one or two similar styles to appease the crowd on more mainstream platforms for money. Although there might be other artists similar to us as well. Here all of this is mostly done as a hobby, but a hobby we would like to share with everyone reading this post.

You Should Never Be Afraid To Try Something New (28-10-2023)

Most musicians as well as the underground types tend to stick to one style or less than 3 similar styles of music. This is because most people think in music in very traditional terms, especially in certain countries like the United States and more conservative countries like India. Not many artists like to blend multiple genres together and those who do almost always have a cult following as opposed to a large fandom. There are famous examples but their exploration of different genres tends to be very brief and superficial. The same can be said for other forms of entertainment like television shows, movies, and even video games, though it might be easier to bend genres in one medium than in another. Here is an example of a musical combination that has never been tried: Album oriented rock and progressive trance. These genres have very different musical structures and roots, with AOR being melodic catchy rock from the 1970's and progressive trance having repetitive beats with synth lines and being from the 1990's. One is associated with classic rock and the other is associated with electronic dance music. The former requires a rock band with drums, guitars and keyboards while the latter has to be done with a digital audio workstation on a computer and maybe some synthesizers. But combining them in a way that is appealing to all can be done, even if they are different. The trick is to emphasize both of some of the features of each genre and try not to create an imbalance that favors one or the other. More artists willing to experiment with multiple styles but confused as to how to implement that in their music should use that approach. There might be some controversy when in comes to combining certain genres where their cultural origins play a major role in their creation. Enka, for example, is from Japan and its music tends to be pretty slow and sentimental. Enka artists play traditional Japanese instruments such as the shamisen, a plucked instrument with three strings. And then there's Colombian cumbia, which uses more percussion based instruments and has a combination of African and European influences. If someone were to combine the two together in their music, they might be accused of cultural appropriation, especially if the artists have no ties to Japan or Colombia or any of their ancestors. Enthusiasts of both genres might find it disrespectful because they feel it kills the authenticity and disregards the history and cultural importance of each style. This should be handled with as much caution as possible, but it's always good to come up with some exciting new sounds. People in their respective countries or cultures should know that not everyone wants to stick to one genre and that it isn't just rock, or pop, or in Colombia's case, cumbia. The world just isn't always that simple. In this world, there are so many styles, so many cultures, and so many possibilities when it comes to finding your style. We can apply that same perspective to, for instance, high school in America. It doesn't just consist of jocks and nerds, it's every type of person imaginable. But pop culture in America prefers to dumb down and create narratives, because it's easier for both kids and adults to understand. And thus, social and cultural norms can create a very limiting and possibly damaging experience for those who just don't fit in. Especially when search engines and others prefer to display and overexpose mainstream narratives over lesser known ones that make more practical sense. TLDR: One should always know what they're doing if they want to blend more than one genre of music. But it is also one's choice if they want to appeal to an audience or make art for themselves for the world to see.

Our Values & Non-Values (11-11-2023)

What ГОМК is:

  1. A form of self-expression with a personal style that is showcased to the general public in a way that is both unconventional and trendsetting, but not necessarily strictly consumer friendly or socially abrasive.

  2. A promotion and suggestion of the formation of multiple interesting ideas, whether contradictory or similar, that have never been tried or considered by the majority.

  3. A way to educate others on how anyone can be a public entertainer and still have some form of anonymity and privacy that doesn't require compromising security and well-being.

What ГОМК is NOT:

  1. A malware/badware/ransomware/any program that interferes with your computer's security producer/distributor
  2. A producer/distributor of subject material of a sexual nature that is intended to arouse/excite, legal/consensual or otherwise depending on your jurisdiction. (sorry folks)
  3. A fraudulent donation scam or cryptocurrency scam
  4. A darknet market or anything that involves selling (we are non-profit and supported by donations)
  5. A spam/phishing/repetitive unsolicited advertising group
  6. A shock site with potentially offensive content. We would like our music to be mostly appropriate for all audiences and not contain any material that would be considered offensive by some or most, and no, that doesn't mean it's solely for children or people with religious views either. There are more efficient ways to be shocking. However, there may be a time when this rule can be broken at any point depending on the circumstance.
  7. A political group that takes positions (that means no politics allowed)
  8. A religious/spiritual/philosophical/etc group. We don't take sides.
  9. A group that engages in defamation/libel, drama, doxxing, advocacy for violence, abuse, etc. Basically all related things.
  10. Affiliated with any known individual, celebrity, criminal, suspected criminal, group, business, corporation, government, etc. We are on our own and have no backing from anyone. Any information claiming to reveal us is invalid.
  11. Engaged in copyright infringement of any kind depending on your jurisdiction. It is also not based on any existing intellectual property as well as other people's copyright free property. We do not trademark anything as it is a no copyright project.
  12. An "aesthetic", an internet meme, an alternate reality game (ARG), roleplaying, "shitposting" or anything to do with the existing internet/darknet culture/subculture. That is not the purpose of our work here. It's just a small music project.
  13. Necessarily based on nostalgia or intended to evoke feelings of nostalgia. We have a variety of influences regardless of what year they originated from, but nostalgia or the "everything was better back then" mindset is the last thing on our mind. The reason is because here we believe that every generation has its treasures, and reducing them to fantasies of what they once were is unrealistic and regressive. In reality the quality of entertainment is subjective and can vary by a lot depending on its time period, perspective, etc. We also do not engage in "X generation is better than Y generation" arguments because again, it's an opinion and based on your personal experience and no one else's.
  14. Based on real events, real people or any aspect of real life unless otherwise indicated. Or someone you know. We have no interest in portraying anyone else's struggles or desires. We are also not meeting any people on Tor in real life.
  15. Involved with artificial intelligence (AI) in any way shape or form.
  16. Either one musical style or another. Again, we combine a diverse variety of styles here so we are not either fully "mainstream" or fully "experimental". There is no "watered down and sanitized/uncompromising and avant-garde" "version" of anything. It is what it is.
  17. An object for you to place your unrealistic expectations and put undue pressure on, and we'll let you know when you're doing it.
  18. Jealous or resentful of ANYONE. We promote positivity here.
  19. Necessarily high quality. The sound may vary based on the quality and settings of your speakers, headphones, etc. It is a DIY project so don't expect "audiophile" quality.
  20. Involved with any other social media or website that is not explicitly mentioned and PGP verified by us.

Let's Talk About Nostalgia (06-01-2024)

Everyone's talking about how they think about the old days when everything was better back then, not just 70 year olds about their younger days but also even adolescents about their own childhood. They seem to feel a sense of comfort and longing for their past experiences. They say it's to have a better understanding of the world around us. These same people also tend to assume that everyone else in their era thinks the same way as them or else they must have lived under a rock. And it appears that some of them are living in an actual rock, as in not being interested in discovering or doing anything new, because at least they still have their old stuff to hold on to, and it is so much infinitely better than the new stuff today. This description depicts, or at least attempts to capture, what the feelings of nostalgia are about based on varying perspectives. Now, it's one thing to want to rely on your past memories to feel secure and sane. There's nothing wrong with that. But it's another thing to define yourself by them to the extent that you don't agree with anything new that challenges your views. And that's where it gets problematic. You may be encouraging people to not cope with the ever evolving trends and technology, but instead to dwell on the old stuff, to focus on them, to constantly feel like the trendy people don't get you, as opposed to dealing with things as they are, processing it, and moving forward with life. Now, we get it. The world changes a lot with every year, especially with social media and artificial intelligence. There's new kinds of movies, music, and other forms of entertainment with every year that passes by. Your generation might die out in the future. A lot of things in the future come in unexpected. It can be surprising and foreign, and nostalgia may be dreamily comforting against all this, but in this instance you have to get over it. You have to start moving forward. Furthermore, not everyone shares the same experiences as you. Some people have had to deal with wars, poverty, and other traumatic events. The vast majority of them would like to get away from their past and focus on their future, even if it seems they can't. There is no reason or benefit to be hung up on the past when everything and everyone inevitably changes around you. Anything can happen in the future. We might even have a nuclear world war or a type of apocalypse soon. Are you still going to be clinging to the past at that point? It would be more beneficial for everyone to use their prior knowledge and experiences to create something new and original and potentially influential. Do that. Don't rip off old ideas just to brag about how better they are than new ideas. Do find comfort in your past, but don't shove it down the throats of people who may disagree with you. Do find inspiration in your youth, but don't act like it's better than everything else you don't like. There's always bound to be something better anyway. Nostalgia is good in moderation and in a way that doesn't put off the audience.

Our Reviews on Some Selected File Hosting Websites (both onion and clearnet) So Far (16-02-2024)

Oshi (http://5ety7tpkim5me6eszuwcje7bmy25pbtrjtue7zkqqgziljwqy3rrikqd.onion) worked fine in the beginning, but then started deleting files before the deletion period (e.g. deletes a file after a few weeks when you set the expiration date to 3 months). NOTE: now shows "Warning: Potential Security Risk Ahead" Blackcloud (http://bcloudwenjxgcxjh6uheyt72a5isimzgg4kv5u74jb2s22y3hzpwh6id.onion) claims to have 200MB storage update but can't seem to handle a 150MB file without going blank. Only recommend for smaller files. Eternal (http://eternalcbrzpicytj4zyguygpmkjlkddxob7tptlr25cdipe5svyqoqd.onion) works perfectly fine, but only accepts files less than 100MB. FileConvoy (https://fileconvoy.com) works fine, but only for max 21 days. Website can take a bit long to load. Transfer.sh (https://transfer.sh): "connection has timed out" Gofile (https://gofile.io) claims that your files can stay up as long as you like yet wipes them all out after 2 weeks. But they do actually show you how your file is dowloading. Gave up on that one because reuploading is honestly frustrating. http://uploadzqkmjawpzgm3wyswzdnaxtx72bn72d5s235fnvg4xviukxhtad.onion is no longer available. Any other options?

Second Anniversary Post (24-02-2024)

We feel the strong need to post this today, so, today we celebrate our second anniversary. Even though we got off to a rocky start, and we just begun with one full-length studio album and we're still not popular yet, all that doesn't matter. What matters is that we have been able to endure the hardest yet best years of our existence. We would like to take a moment to speak to you all about the meaning behind our first album "Fairytale Epics" and how that connects to our purpose. Although there are no significant lyrics or vocals for that matter, it does have a meaning for all of us personally. 01 road trip gone wrong - How can a road trip become dangerous? Well, if you've driven for many hours for a very long time before, you would easily get fatigued and you'd need some sort of stimulant to pick yourself up. Anything that becomes repetitive and tedious can tire you out. That is why sometimes we need to turn on the music to better bear with it. Yet music can also be a source of distraction, especially if you wear headphones instead of using the speaker. It can divert attention from the road. And then you have to worry about whether it'll rain unexpectedly or if there will be a heavy fog. The road may be unsuitable to drive on and your car might bump a lot. And if you need to hurry up to your destination fast, you might try to speed without getting caught by the police if there's any. With all those factors taken into consideration, any one of them could result in a road trip gone wrong. And that's the inspiration behind it all. Boredom can easily make you impulsive. We know it does for many people. But we don't have to resort to a lukewarm catchy pop song to tell you that. Any genre when done right can easily reflect this fact. 02 քօɢɮᏗᏝ - Basically a battle song that you fight your opponent to but then midway you have to contemplate about why it matters and what it's all for before you finall understand and then rise up to defeat them again. If any of your fights were like this, you would get it. 03 °₊·ˈ∗♡ᶠᵒᵒˡ’ˢʳᵃᵛᵉ - A fun rave track you can dance to with your friends! But it's not all fun and games all the time. The acoustic portions are there to promote a sense of tranquility before the dance parts start. And it's called Fool's Rave for that reason. Not many people would expect jazz rock parts in a dance song unless it's a sample. 04 John Hopkins' Lymphoma - Ever seen any shows where one scene suddenly changes to the next one that seemingly has nothing to do with the prior scene or even the story itself? This is called a cutaway. They are used by filmmakers to disrupt the narrative to something else or to show a different perspective or events happening at the same time. Well, this track is about cutaways, and it patches up seemingly different sounds to create a cohesive composition. It's really more about getting into the main problem only to be met with a series of unrelated events, and when you think it's all over, you get right back into the problem, and the energy you put out into the world to get yourself in trouble again eventually comes back to you stronger. 05 ░★ᔕTᖇᗩᗯᗷEᖇᖇY♥ᗷᖇIᑕKᔕ♥ᖴᓍᖇᘿᐺᘿᖇ★░ - A mashup of our personally recreated recordings of the greatest hits of the 60's and the 70's, in collage dance-pop form, with some added recorded acoustic instruments. It's a celebration of the greatest music of all time. 06 𝓇𝒶𝓅𝑒𝓌𝒶𝓁𝓉𝓏 - Self-explanatory title. It's not always waltz, and it doesn't always rape your ears, but when it does... 07 мNTLĐł₴₵ØRDEя - It isn't very often that a dance track lasts about 16 minutes or more. Why? Creating a dance track that remains engaging and dynamic for that long can be challenging, because most dance tracks are by design repetitive and familiar. They begin, rise, peak, fall, and the cycle goes on before it finally ends. Although this one is the same way, unlike most dance tracks it actually changes it up a bit instead of just sticking to the same beat. It starts out as your typical dance track and then it turns into a more avant garde rock sound with glitch elements. And then we go right back to the dance sound where we started and then proceed to end. We believe that a piece like ours has never been tried, by anyone else before. 08 ˜”°•°₊·ˈ∗♡(⸝⸝⸝´꒳`⸝⸝⸝)♡∗ˈ‧₊°•°”˜ / proshchaniye - Complex but very reflective and nice. That's all we can say about it. In conclusion, our album represents almost all the genres we are very familiar with, which are: Rock, Electronic, Blues, Jazz, and some of the more experimental styles. The tracks are there to bridge the gap between them all, resulting in an eclectic and forward thinking sound that you will probably never hear on the radio or the charts. We are planning to introduce and mix up more new and different subgenres as well as broaden our audience a bit more to accommodate trending music styles. We are also planning to incorporate vocals at some point too. You will see in our next album, "Completely Beyond Your Understanding" coming 24 Apr 2024 in what we will improve in and what will stay the same. Keep following us for more updates and information, and thanks for reading this post!

Why We Will Never Make Anyone Pay For Our Music (09-03-2024)

In the past, you used to be able to buy music in a physical format such as a vinyl record or a cassette or a CD, and that would be the only way to listen to it. Later, with the advent of the Internet, everything transitioned to the point that music now has to be brought online through digital downloads, which often are blocked by a paywall. While musicians still offer physical media, people began to prioritise convenience more and buy digital downloads of music now. It's either that or listen to it online through a streaming platform, where you may need to subscribe to stop advertisements from interrupting your music listening experience. Here's the problem and reality though. Most people do not want to pay to listen to music, so they either listen to it online via a video platform like YouTube (where these days constant advertisements interrrupting videos is a problem now unless you subscribe), or they engage in peer-to-peer file sharing and torrenting to acquire the files for free to listen uninterrupted. Which is why instead of forcing everyone to have to subscribe on some platform that wants your money (which often gives very little to the artists) to listen, we give you the raw audio files compressed in ZIP archives to download for free on our trusted third party file hosting sites (since right now we don't have the financial means to host it ourselves). Even if there is a website that does compensate artists fairly, there may be some terms and conditions and privacy policy terms that conflict with what we feel and know protects and benefits us. Furthermore, if we were to have everyone pay for our work, we would have to punish anyone who does not pay us in some way such as sending DMCA notices, getting legally involved, etc. and we do not want to do that. No one should be jailed for downloading and distributing mere files. If we do collaborate with law enforcement it could potentially compromise our anonymity even if they try to convince us otherwise. It is not worth the trouble. And also we do not impose copyright licenses on our music. Then we would have to be paranoid about who's breaking the law. We put a disclaimer in every album that talks about these issues. It can be found in the README.txt file. Also, we feel that imposing paywalls would create a situation that one album would get an unfair advantage over the others for a song's specific sound and its massive popularity. We would end up feeling pressured and obligated to create more songs with that same sound simply because it makes more money and is more popular than other songs with different sounds. While it is admirable to have some popular songs, the presence of profit would take that admirability away for this reason. And we would rather do this project out of artistic expression rather than out of playing the fame game. Which would be pretty overwhelming for us. We like to keep a low profile mostly to avoid trouble. Instead, we offer everyone the choice to donate to us using Monero, an anonymous open-source cryptocurrency that is reasonably safer than Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. For more info go to http://monerotoruzizulg5ttgat2emf4d6fbmiea25detrmmy7erypseyteyd.onion/index.html. You can donate any amount you like, preferably more than 0.01 XMR. Our XMR address at the moment of writing this is 88h9oEtiJik2ya8RXxcGrKGvz9H79T9QmjmDbVMYaTT4Wsvq9M3sD1aZR7KaYbgvqCBXvAHzdG2bARnFxRze8LJWRSAbovP This address may be subject to change.

Why We Believe Tor Can Be So Much More Than For-Profit Marketplaces & Paywalled Ambiguously Legal Content (a mini-directory) (28-04-2024)

Most people when they want to look for something in the darknet of Tor it's about the usual suspects: sex, drugs, and money. That's understandable, as the vast majority of onionsites revolve around these topics, with some even offering these services completely free (often with a hidden price, whether implied or not). But although certain search engines like Onionland and Amnesia would have you believe based on the most popular search terms that those topics are all what people are looking for, there are other types of people on the Tor network. They are in: Forums, including imageboards, MyBB style forums, etc. to discuss stuff or display files. Example: Ramble, a Tor alternative to Reddit http://rambleeeqrhty6s5jgefdfdtc6tfgg4jj6svr4jpgk4wjtg3qshwbaad.onion/ Social networks. Although there are not many well known influencers who use Tor, there exist people who would like to share what they're thinking in public, but only on Tor. Example: Pitch, a Tor alternative to Twitter http://pitchprash4aqilfr7sbmuwve3pnkpylqwxjbj2q5o4szcfeea6d27yd.onion/ Archives of e-books and PDFs. If you can't find anything in your local book store, might as well download it freely there. Example: Just Another Library http://libraryfyuybp7oyidyya3ah5xvwgyx6weauoini7zyz555litmmumad.onion/ News websites. Example: The Tor Times http://tortimeswqlzti2aqbjoieisne4ubyuoeiiugel2layyudcfrwln76qd.onion/ Questions and answers websites where you ask questions and receive answers. Don't expect your answer to be objective. Example: Hidden Answers http://lp2fkbyfmiefvscyawqvssyh7rnwfjsifdhebp5me5xizte3s47yusqd.onion/ These are just five examples of such websites. They are (currently) living proof that the hidden web is not just about crime and money. But what will happen when all of these websites become defunct? Well, obviously new ones will come in to take their place. But this does not always happen instantly. There used to be an old onionsite called Galaxy3 that was focused on social networking and then one day the website stopped working. This could be any of the websites listed above in the future. The future can be very unpredictable, especially on the Tor network. It is recommended to bookmark using websites like these: Simple bookmarks http://afajj7x4zfl2d3fc2u7uzxp4iwf4r2kucr5on24xk2hwrssoj7yivhid.onion/ We do not endorse or vouch for any of the websites above. The opinions expressed within these websites do not necessarily reflect our views.

How To Survive In Isolation (A Guide) (24-06-2024)

There are many people in this world who are not only sheltered but also isolated. Some choose isolation as a choice, and others have it imposed on them by family, society, and other people. The problem with this is the vast majority of isolated people do not know how to live a healthy lifestyle in this state. People in isolation are more likely to be sedentary, have mental disorders, and even physical aliments, mostly from self-neglect. So how to help?

We do not have experience with all types of people, so this advice may come across as one-size fits all and may not be applicable to your individual situation. This advice also assumes you're not being heavily controlled by another party, like a parent or a religious cult.

Inevitably, one has to learn how to practice self-discipline, because no one will do it for you if you're isolated. To do this:

If you are having trouble completing your goals by yourself, you can try heavily simplifying them to your liking and understanding. And making them easier to do.

With the ability to set goals, you will be able to create an everyday routine for yourself. For example, you should ideally sleep a certain number of hours and start sleeping on the same nightly hour and wake up on the same day hour. The reason why sleep is important is because it helps rejuvenate your body so that you can be physically and mentally efficient the next day. If you have issues with sleep such as insomnia or a problem like mania where you stay up all night without getting tired, you can invest in herbal and/or pharmaceutical sedatives temporarily to get your body used to a consistent sleep schedule.

You can also set schedules for things like work and hobbies. In terms of work, you should stick to it for a fixed amount of time as much as possible, even when you don't feel like it. We would do the same for hobbies, although there is more leniency and flexibility in that area, unless you take them seriously just as much as work. If you have difficulties with procrastination in any of those areas, you should consider either performing immediately any tasks that take less than two minutes or commit to working on tasks that take longer for just two minutes.

A reward system for achieving goals is necessary for building self-discipline. You can set up small rewards for achieving small goals and big rewards for achieving big ones. Like your goals, rewards should align with your objectives. You can also gradually reduce external rewards once your desired habits feel more automatic and natural. In the same vein, you must also practice the ability to delay gratification, so that you don't just jump into any pleasurable activity to distract from your goals and duties. You can start small by waiting 5 seconds before, for example, eating a satisfying but unhealthy food choice, and then gradually increase that delay time for other pleasurable activities. You should start with the ones you have no trouble delaying before moving on to things you can't resist. By doing this, you build resilience against pleasurable distractions. For other distractions where pleasure is not involved, you may have to create a dedicated workspace free from clutter and distractions. To identify this, you should have the self-awareness to know if something around your room is deliberately distracting you or not. Them try to remove it from your sight or at least your awareness. Or you can keep reminding yourself that the work is more important than the potential distractions around you if you can't do anything about them, even if you don't feel like doing so. A distraction free environment makes it easier to stay focused and disciplined.

Self-discipline is a skill that requires constant refinement throughout your life. You should keep a journal to track your progress and challenges, regularly review and adjust your goals and strategies, and be kind to yourself when you make a mistake while being strict, and use it as a learning opportunity. Be kind to yourself, but don't let yourself go too much. Be strict with yourself, but don't be too hard on yourself.

As for exercise, you will need it, obviously for its health benefits and not just because you'll look good. If you have been sedentary your whole life, you can start with the most low-intensity exercises like walking and yoga for the first few weeks. Then, if your body feels ready, you can start jogging and cycling before eventually moving on to strength training and vigorous activity. You will also have to warm up before every exercise and cool down too, to prepare yourself. You should also be able to listen to your body when exercise hurts for you, and stop doing it. You will have to treat your workouts like important appointments and take some accountability for yourself. All this will take weeks, maybe even months and years. There are many resources on the Internet for starting an exercise routine. All this information is needed so that you don't deteriorate in isolation like so many end up doing. And for concern for your health. Do not take this as a condescension but as a piece of advice. We care about you.

Can Artificial Intelligence And Privacy Ever Coexist? (28-07-2024)

Artificial intelligence has been a rapidly popular topic since around the start of the 2020s with the rise of chatbots such as ChatGPT, AI art generators such as Midjourney, and more. So the question of whether AI and complete privacy can coexist is more important than ever. The thing is that AI systems rely heavily on vast amounts of data to function efficiently. This reliance often raises concerns about privacy, data security, and the potential for the misuse of personally identifiable information.

What kind of data, you ask? Basically, large datasets of things such as text, images, and other data it can be trained on to learn, adapt, and improve their outputs. But this data also often includes personal information such as browsing habits, location data, and potentially, biometric details, especially in the case of virtual assistants powered by AI. The more data these systems have, the better they can understand patterns, make predictions, and offer personalised services. This dependency on this kind of data is at odds with the concept of privacy, which usually entails minimal or no data collection and maximum control over personal information.

In this case, there's a paradox where individuals want to enjoy the benefits of AI-driven services while also wanting to maintain their privacy. For example, users appreciate the convenience of personalised recommendations from streaming services, but often these conveniences come at the cost of sharing personal data. Despite all these challenges, there have been some technological advancements that have been developed to bridge the gap between AI and privacy, and they will be explained below.

For instance, federated learning allows AI models to be trained across multiple devices or servers holding local data samples, without exchanging the data itself. By keeping the data localised and only sharing model updates, federated learning enhances privacy while still enabling AI to learn and improve. Then there's differential privacy, where noise is added to data in a way that preserves individual privacy while allowing for accurate aggregate analysis. Differential privacy ensures that the output of an AI system does not reveal specific details about any individual in the dataset.

There is also the technique of homomorphic encryption, which allows computations to be performed on encrypted data without decrypting it first. Meaning that AI systems can process data and generate insights without ever exposing the raw data, thus maintaining some level of privacy. Another example of a privacy method would be zero-knowledge proofs, which enables one party to prove to another that a statement is true without revealing any additional information. In the context of AI, zero-knowledge proofs can be used to verify data integrity and authenticity without compromising privacy.

Governments have laws designed for data protection such as the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation and the United States' California Consumer Privacy Act, although their effectiveness regarding privacy is very debatable. There is also a call for the ethical use of AI, arguing that organizations must prioritise transparency, accountability, and user consent by designing their AI systems with privacy by default and privacy by design principles, so that these considerations are embedded in the development process from the outset. Organizations should additionally inform users about how their data is used and the measures in place to protect it. Educating the public about these technologies and their rights under data protection laws can empower individuals to make informed decisions about their data.

In conclusion, the coexistence of artificial intelligence and complete privacy is a challenging but not impossible goal, at least with all the information we know so far in this article. Although AI's reliance on data does pose an inherent privacy risk, technological advancements, robust policies, and ethical considerations can help mitigate these risks. Encouraging accountability and empowering users can also help realise the achievement of this goal.

A few links that helped with the writing of this blog post. Note that we are not affiliated with these websites. (if I were you I would copy and paste the info from these websites to a txt file before it gets moved/deleted) https://medium.com/@th3Powell/privacy-and-artificial-intelligence-challenges-and-solutions-7c9278046647 (CLEARNET) https://privacytools.seas.harvard.edu/differential-privacy (CLEARNET) https://chain.link/education/zero-knowledge-proof-zkp (CLEARNET) https://www.keyfactor.com/blog/what-is-homomorphic-encryption/ (CLEARNET) https://research.ibm.com/blog/what-is-federated-learning (CLEARNET) If you can't access these websites contact us right away and we will provide an excerpt from those websites! Or a similar website.

If you have any questions or corrections you want to point out, let us know in the comments!

Who Says Pop Music Has To Be Superficial And Simplistic? (28-08-2024)

Why do people always assume if it's pop music, it has to always appeal to the masses and lack depth? That's ridiculous. There is a reason for its intentionally catchy melodies and relatable lyrics. It is supposed to attract general audiences by transcending sociocultural barriers to bring people together in this way. But it doesn't necessarily mean that it lacks depth. And pop music does not necessarily have to appeal to a big crowd. Sometimes artists can experiment with musical aspects such as time signatures, as seen in our latest EP (specifically the track entitled ´°✵ꟻUи-@-p4rTy5? ME?✵°´). And it doesn't necessarily need to have strictly relatable lyrics either. Not every pop song is about love and heartbreak and whatnot. Some well-known pop songs even have NO lyrics!

Plus, a lot of what is considered "relatable" is actually meant to be culturally understood to a specific but significant population. For example, the majority of pop artists today are trying to be a bit raunchy and explicit in their lyrics compared to in the past. Which, although that factor would exclude the portion of their audience that is opposed to those types of lyrics, does not change the fact they still maintain a growing audience - especially if their audience likes other factors of the music too much to worry about the lyrics. And also the most popular pop music tends to lean heavily towards the Western world which has shown a general tolerance to most of those explicit lyrics compared to back then. The lyrics are relatable to a specific big audience, but they do not need to be relatable to literally everyone in the world.

However, this does not mean that pop music has to lack depth and be mediocre. There does not need to be explicit lyrics about repetitive topics. There does not need to be the same melodies over and over. There does not need to be a hook every time. There exists a weatlth of musical techniques that can infuse pop with freshness and innovation, moving beyond the confines of repetition and relatability. For instance, one could, as mentioned earlier, change up the time signatures a bit. While most pop songs adhere to a straightforward 4/4 time, experimenting with 5/4, 7/8, or even shifting time signatures can create a unique rhythmic landscape. For reference, "ꟻUи-@-p4rTy5" has 4/4, 5/4, 6/4, and 3/4 time signatures. This technique not only challenges the listener's expectations but also allows for more intricate melodic and harmonic development.

Pop music also does not have to strictly adhere to a verse/chorus/verse/chorus/bridge/chorus structure all the time. Breaking away from this linear format by using techniques like through composed forms or cyclical patterns can allow for thematic development that dynamically evolves throughout the song, keeping listeners engaged and intrigued. In a through composed form, the music is continuously composed without repeating large sections. Each section of the music is distinct, and new material is introduced throughout the piece. This form is used to tell a story or explore a certain theme. As for cyclical patterns, they involve the repetition of a specific musical idea or motif throughout the piece, but in a way that creates a sense of development or transformation. Instead of specifically repeating a section verbatim, the motif may be varied in terms of rhythm, harmony, or even instrumentation each time it returns. This form is common in genres like minimalism, where a small set of musical ideas is developed and transformed over time.

Pop music typically favors familiar chord progressions, which can lead to a sense of sameness across many tracks. But what if I told you that unconventional harmonic choices in pop music is a thing? There are so many harmonic variations to choose from to make a song sound more unexpected than it actually is, like modal interchange, extended chords, and dissonance. Modal interchange/mixture involves borrowing chords from parallel modes (scales) to create harmonic variety. For example, if a piece is primarily in major key, the composer might borrow chords from the parallel minor key. The borrowed chords often have different qualities than those typically found in the original key. Extended chords go beyond the basic triad of root, third, and fifth by adding additional notes, typically the seventh, ninth, eleventh, or thirteenth. A C major chord consists of the notes C, E, and G, but a Cmaj7 chord adds the note B, and a C9 chord adds the note D, creating a more complex and emotionally nuanced harmonic texture. And lastly, dissonance refers to a combination of notes that creates tension in a way that notes that do not sound perfectly harmonic together are played. It is the opposite of consonance. While it is often used to create drama and conflict, it can be used for some positive moods as well.

All these techniques mentioned above, when used appropriately in a pop song, can and do challenge the norm that pop music is mediocre and only appeals to the masses. As the music landscape continues to evolve, it is essential for everyone to explore those songs that contain any one of the techniques listed above and to encourage other artists to try them as well. Music as a whole should be about creativity and expression, and it shouldn't necessarily be confined to the familiar. There's already so many ways to make pop music more diverse and appealing, and this should be one of them.

A Post About Sig Files And What They Are (14-09-2024)

Recently, someone privately asked us what the .sig files in the downloaded zips were for. So we will be discussing this subject on this blog post today for those who are confused.

A .sig file, or signature file, is a type of file that typically contains a digital signature or a hash value used to verify the integrity sand authenticity of another file or piece of data. The signature files were generated when signing a file using GPG (GNU Privacy Guard). In this case, we signed the images and the README.txt file of the archives using Kleopatra, a software used to create, sign, and verify PGP keys. Recipients of a signed file can use GPG to verify the signature against the original file. If the signature matches, it confirms that the file has not been altered/isn't fake and that it was indeed signed by the person who claims to have signed it. Our PGP key is valid for a set time only up until 02/02/2026. That is two years from now. The reason for an expiration date is to limit the amount of sensitive information that can be decrypted with the one private key that we have. So in the event that we change PGP keys, we will let everyone know this by signing the new public key with the old key. In cases where for some reason our system gets corrupted or similar, we may not be able to retrieve our old key. So your sig files may stop working and come up as an invalid signature after this period. THIS IS NOT MEANT TO BE IMPLIED THAT THE SIGNED FILES HAVE BEEN TAMPERED WITH IN THIS CASE, JUST THAT THE SIGNATURE HAS EXPIRED. The files are still trusted, it's just that the signature has expired. All it is, in this case, is a validation of the authenticity of the files at the time when the files were first uploaded OR when our PGP key had to be changed for whatever reason. The files are left intact, actually. We may change download links when the PGP key has to be changed to reflect the new PGP key change for consistency reasons. But the audio files, images, and .txt files are fine by themselves, with or without the .sig files. The .sig files are for authenticity purposes only, but their expiration does not mean the rest of the files have gone bad, just that it expired. When the .sig files expire, you can disregard them if you want. So we apologise for any confusion this may cause. To verify our PGP, copy the text that goes from "-----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----" to "-----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----". Note that there are exactly five lines before and after the text. Then paste the public key to import into the text field in the Notepad menu in Kleopatra, and it will validate the PGP for you. Import notepad and a pop up will show up asking you to certify the imported key. Click Yes and you should see "Certified successful" message. The imported key should show up in your keyring. To verify .sig files you have to go to File > Decrypt/Verify Files and Kleopatra should be able to tie the .sig file with the public key you just imported. I hope this clears up any confusion. If you have any feedback about our practices, feel free to comment below!

Question! (26-09-2024)

"If you value privacy and autonomy so much, why bother to choose to showcase your art, music, thoughts, etc. to the public? Part of being a public figure is understanding that you essentially give up your privacy the minute you choose to deal with the public."

That's the question we want to answer today. It has piqued our interest and sparked discussions among us, as someone reached out to us through our communications channels previously, seeking clarity on this very topic. Initially, we found ourselves grappling with how to respond, as the complexity of the question left us pondering various angles and perspectives. However, after careful consideration and research, we have gathered the insights and information necessary to provide a comprehensive answer.

The reason we are private yet public is because we believe that art (and music) has the power to inspire, provoke thought, and evoke emotions in others, even if some people aren't immediately affected or inspired. Therefore, by showcasing our creations we can influence and resonate with many audiences. It's not about seeking attention or validation from others or conforming to any external expectations, societal or otherwise; rather, it is about influencing others in a more passive yet effective manner. And yes, to some extent, there may be a loss of privacy. However, we have managed to separate our activities, information, or identities in such a way that there is no connection or traceable link to our actual identities in the real world, so this isn't a problem for us.

Everything is built around some level of interdependence and cooperation, and we recognise this. However, we aspire to prove to ourselves that we can be successful on our own terms. No having to manage multiple teams and departments, no networking with "the right people we know", no tedious and costly self promotion other than maybe word of mouth marketing. Sure, we recognise that there may be instances where we need to rely on trusted third parties to assist us in specific areas like file storage. This is not a contradiction to our philosophy; rather, it is a pragmatic acknowledgment of the complexities of it all. But maybe we don't need to have to rely on who interacts with us or who finances us just to build some kind of online presence. Maybe we want to do it all on our own, without any kind of connection or collaboration with others. Maybe we don't want to be beholden to or influenced by the demands or preferences of any external parties of any kind.

This does not mean we don't value your contributions to help us. We know that every contribution, whether financial or otherwise, plays a vital role in supporting our work, and we are truly grateful for the generosity of those who choose to support us. However, our wish is to create a space where we can express ourselves freely, explore our ideas, and engage with our audience on our own terms. We want to foster a community that thrives on genuine interaction rather than transactional relationships. By prioritising our autonomy, we aim to cultivate a more authentic connection with our audience, one that is rooted in shared values and mutual respect.

Our approach may seem difficult to pull off, especially in an age where prior experience, social media and even aspects of your real life identity are often viewed as prerequisites for success. However, we are redefining what success means for us. It is not about how many followers we have on social media or how many people comment on our work. It is about the fulfillment we derive from our work and the impact we have on our community. By focusing on our own terms, we can create a more sustainable and meaningful definition of success that aligns with our values.

Does this help explain everything now? Comment if you have any related questions!

For Those Who Listen To All Genres (a mini blog post) (13-10-2024)

Most people who like listening to music align themselves with a few specific music genres that reflect their personality, interests, cultural background, and everything personal about themselves. Ask any person and the majority will tell you they like listening to certain pop singers or certain rock bands or a certain jazz subgenre. Sure, some people may venture out of their ordinary tastes and decide they also like a variety of things, but most will default to the ones they know and love best. But what about those who claim to like listening to literally all genres? We never really hear about them. It seems to be a rarity. And it seems that some apparently find that idea eyebrow raising. This is thought to be due to the assumption that those who enjoy all genres don't seem to have a clear musical identity. Are they indecisive? Do they struggle to commit to a particular style? Believe it or not, it's more harder to stereotype someone who enjoys all genres versus someone who enjoys for example indie pop music. For example, metalheads are seen as aggressive, classical music enjoyers are seen as sophisticated, and the list goes on. But what exactly are those who aren't picky about musical styles? Frankly, it would be more easier to just simply call them open-minded. Everyone often points out how different each genre is from one another, especially the difference between metal and classical music that was just pointed out earlier. So enjoying all genres implies an incredibly broad and eclectic palate, which can be understandably daunting for most people to comprehend. However for those who are used to more niche and avant-garde music, they tend to have less of a problem with those who are able to enjoy a wide range of music. This is because they are more willing to explore and appreciate different styles and sounds. The point of this post is that there isn't anything exactly problematic or weird about liking all genres. It just so happens that the majority who only listen to certain styles are more likely to find it confusing or maybe amusing, mostly because they don't know how to deal with how someone can cope with liking literally anything and everything. And it is actually a good sign of openness in terms of personality rather than any inherent indecisiveness.

POV: You Answer To Literally No One - Or Nothing - In Your Life (26-10-2024)

As children, many of us have dreamed about the alluring prospect of living without any rules or restrictions, for those who've had to live with them set by any present caregivers, anyway. If you've wished you've had things like no curfews, unrestricted dietary choices, and unfettered access to entertainment, you most likely understand. For most of us who had guidance in our youth, the desire to rebel against the established norms and parental guidance can feel like a natural and necessary step towards independence. We yearn for the autonomy to make our own decisions and to explore the world without the watchful eye of authority figures. If you have actually had those things, however, then you've most likely compared your "awesome and grown up" childhood to everyone else who didn't have your freedom. Whatever the case, no matter how you look at it, the reality is that not everybody in the world is able to make constructive use of that unfettered freedom.

For the vast majority of people, the appeal of a life without any accountability or structure does spike initially once we dip our toes in it, but often fades gradually. It quickly gives way to a sense of aimlessness and apathy. There is a logical explanation for this besides the simplistic view that "they're just lazy and make poor choices". This is because most people are conditioned to some form of guiding framework of rules and responsibilities from the day they are born, whether it be religious or just practical common sense, however that is defined. Because of this, they are more likely to find themselves overwhelmed by the sheer vastness of choices and opportunities available to them. They are more vulnerable to the effects of lack of a purposeful structure, which can include a state of mental stagnation, where the very freedom they once craved as children becomes a burden. With no clear direction or sense of purpose, they drift aimlessly, unable to muster the motivation to pursue their goals or fulfill their potential.

When no one or nothing holds them accountable for their actions, there's a higher chance of them becoming less inclined to take personal responsibility for their choices and the resulting consequences. Without this pressure, there is less motivation to put in the necessary effort and dedication required to achieve their personal goals or overcome challenges. The satisfaction and sense of accomplishment that often comes from this is frequently rooted in parents or caregivers or villages or entire societies (really a combination of all these factors) instilling in them values like hard work, perseverance, and commitment. And from those values, people believe in investing the hard work and discipline to accomplish their goals. Without it, they may be less inclined to make that investment.

The fact is that people can become easily complacent with total freedom. They can be less motivated to put in the time and energy required to reach their goals, especially when there are no true consequences for falling short. This can lead to a diminished sense of accomplishment, as they have not been required to push themselves to earn the satisfaction that comes with success.

Moreover, for the majority who are not used to doing everything completely by themselves, the lack of external validation that comes with not having to answer to anyone can be potentially isolating. This is due to the fact that in most cultures and social contexts, we often rely on external validation and feedback from others to support our personal and professional growth. So without that regular input and sense of belonging to a supportive network, feelings of isolation and loneliness start to creep in. And it can contribute to feelings of apathy and self-doubt. And it becomes harder to maintain motivation and confidence in ourselves. And there is a potential to be stuck in cycles of self-criticism and uncertainty about our abilities and decisions.

So what separates the majority who actually suffer due to this from the minority who don't suffer, other than the usual talk about resilience, or the capacity to adapt and bounce back from adversity?

One crucial factor is the level of self-regulation and self-discipline. Those who have developed strong self-regulatory skills, such as the ability to set and pursue their own goals without help, manage their time and resources effectively, and delay gratification, are more likely to flourish in the absence of external accountability. These individuals in the minority may have internalised the values and habits that were once instilled by caregivers, allowing them to maintain motivation and a sense of purpose even without external accountability.

Closely related to self-regulation is the concept of locus of control. It's about whether people believe they have control of their lives or not. And individuals with an internal locus of control generally believe that they have agency over their own lives and that their actions have direct influence on the outcomes they face. In contrast, those with an external locus of control attribute these outcomes to external factors, such as luck or the actions of others. Those who take responsibility for their choices and actively work towards their goals in the absence of external pressure are likely to have an internal locus of control.

Are you able to tolerate ambiguity and uncertainty? Those who are comfortable with the open-ended nature of a life without structure are better equipped to navigate the many choices and possibilities available to them. But it doesn't stop there. Environmental factors like upbringing can also contribute to their ability to navigate a life without structure. Those who have been exposed to a variety of experiences, encouraged to take initiative, and provided with a strong social network are more likely to have developed the necessary skills and resources to thrive in the absence of external guidance.

Going back to the point about children who had guidance and children who didn't, it's easy to assume that the latter group would have more issues with living without rules and guidance than the former. However, the distinction between those who thrive and those who struggle is actually not always clear-cut. It's not necessarily that the former has better skills than the latter, but rather that people in both groups have skills that can vary widely in strength. It's more complex than one thinks. Even some individuals who have had the benefit of guidance and structure in their upbringing can experience periods of difficulty or uncertainty when faced with the overwhelming freedom of a life without structure. Conversely, some individuals who didn't have that benefit may have the necessary skills and resources to navigate this challenge successfully.

So, is unbridled freedom the one true panacea that we as kids once imagined? For the majority, not really. It's really in the acceptance of structure and responsibility that we can unlock our true potential, if you strongly believe in them. Because the actual brutal facts are these: most people are not prepared to handle unbridled freedom because most people are conditioned to accept a certain level of structure and responsibility based on how they were raised, but some people in the minority are because they were able to not only have certain skills, but use them more efficiently than others.

Three Noticeable Musical Elements Used Prominently In The Music Of ГОМК (11-11-2024)

Hello guys! We've kind of already talked about how we make music, which can be found in our FAQ page. Here is a direct quote, for those that need a refresher:

"So we have a pretty simple and collaborative production process. Since we’re all self-taught and have our own unique ways of approaching music, each of us will naturally bring different skills and influences to the table, making for a diverse sound. We usually start with a jam session to brainstorm some ideas, and from there, we develop our songs together. For recording, we primarily use a home studio setup. We work with multiple digital audio workstation software programs, all of which allow us to experiment with different sounds. We also have a couple of dynamic microphones for vocals and instruments, along with a condenser mic for capturing more nuanced sounds. An audio interface helps us connect our instruments and mics to the computer, ensuring good sound quality. Our instruments include a mix of electric and acoustic guitars, bass, keyboards, and drums, and sometimes we incorporate unconventional instruments or recorded sounds to add texture. And we also add various plugins for effects like reverb, delay, and distortion to shape our sound. The point is, our process is about trial and error, learning as we go, and having fun with it! Regarding privacy, we clean up the old metadata of the files and we try to remove hidden stuff like fingerprinting whenever possible."

We're not usually talkative about our music production process due to the nature of our group, however we would like to share a few additional things, without risking deanonymising ourselves in doing so, since our music, while varied, does have a few distinctive qualities that do kind of make us stick out like a sore thumb, admittedly. There's at least three additional things you should know about it.

The one thing that makes up a significant amount of our music, that is a common recurring technique, is sampling. But not just any regular sampling where we just take famous recordings and reinterpret them into something new. Believe it or not, we actually make our own samples. As in creating entirely new, original instrumentation from scratch AND making sure that it has the right groove, the right sonic qualities, etc. How do we do this? It's relatively easy; we just record ourselves playing instruments, or making any sound, or using any natural sound source, we record a few takes using any sound recorder whether it's a digital audio workstation or a portable recorder, we decide which one sounds good to our ears, we use the selected one we want the most and decide is the best, and we edit it to our liking by trimming it or adding effects. It's just that simple. We're not going to go too much into the details of how we determine a sample sounds good enough to be used, as it is far too subjective to be explained here since it depends on how good your ears work and what specific kinds of sounds you like or are going for. It's important to note that you do not have to limit yourself to the same samples over and over. A lot of breaks-oriented songs tend to use the same drum break sample in the same way, or at least variations of the same drum break. While we do understand and appreciate the tradition, there is always room for creativity, and it is not necessarily difficult to create new drum breaks that sound at least more different but likeable, if you're up to it.

Secondly, the combination of traditional and computerised instruments in a way that sounds more modern but different. If you haven't noticed, the vast majority of artists who do this are either going for a more nostalgic vibe or a chill atmosphere. Or it is used very sparsely, especially in the case of certain types of pop music. In most cases, for example, the man playing the piano tends to play along and complement the virtual synthesizer playing on the computer in a sequenced manner. But how are we any different? Well, we use any recording of a traditional instrument, "time-correct" it (meaning that we correct its timing to a certain consistent BPM), adjust its EQ, possibly compress it a bit so its volume does not overpower the volume of other instruments, and arrange it in a way that sounds like it's actually playing with and complementing the computerised instruments in a more accurate way that is modern and digital-like. Sometimes we make it sound like it's stuttering or freezing by obviously repeating certain notes multiple times in the smallest halves of beats as possible. How many of you ever heard a Rhodes piano or an electric guitar that sounds just like that? It's pretty much in the same vein as sampling except that in this case, we are discussing how it's used to emphasise how well acoustic and digital instruments can work well together. Note that this does not necessarily mean our music is actually fully computer generated or generated by artificial intelligence.

Last but not least, we may attempt to accurately emulate the sounds of certain acoustic instruments for a more digital feel we're going for. This is kind of actually related to the second point. Now, we know that acoustic instruments produce a unique and varied sound quality that arises from the deep resonances of, say for example, the wooden bodies of the violins and cellos, the thickness of the strings, and the way air moves through the brass instruments. And we know that plug-ins are unlikely to fully capture the texture and richness of sound produced by the well-tuned variety of instruments in a live performance. Nevertheless, given that we mostly go for an electronic, calculated feel in our compositions, that part doesn't really matter as much, except maybe in cases where spontaneity and improvisation do matter. It's kind of difficult for us to explain as to how we manage to mimick as close as possible the sounds of instruments like violins and flutes, but we'll just put it simply like this: you just got to keep tweaking with certain plug-ins and their properties until you hear something that sounds like the sound you want or need. That's all we have to say about that, so we'll leave the rest to your intuition, if you're capable of it. In the case where improvisation is called for, we usually revert to having to record ourselves playing our instruments, without modifying those recordings too significantly. Obviously the key to improvisation is to let yourself feel the music as you're playing it, you know, let it take you places and stuff. We all know this. One thing we do want to point out: it is actually very rare to hear electronic dance tracks use any improvisation, if at all, due to the fact that they often rely heavily on pre-programmed beats, melodies, and harmonies. And some older drum machines and synthesizers may not be designed for live improvisation. But with newer versions of DAWs and MIDI sequencers and other stuff like that, it is becoming more possible to incorporate improvisation in such tracks.

Regarding privacy and anonymity, we do not use human vocals in any of our music at the time, and we try to process recordings in a way that does not contain noticeable traces of our breathing or movements (although this can be ridiculously hard to do with woodwind instruments, for example) by filtering out background noise and being as careful as possible to not make too much background noise. However, we are working on creating our own unique synthesized singing voices similar to that of Vocaloid (but a bit different) although it is still in the draft stages for now, and we don't really know how to execute it properly at the moment. As for the process of anonymising audio files to successfully eliminate fingerprinting, we feel that it is best to not reveal too much about that here due to its complexity. In other words, that's a story for another time!

In short, there are things that do set us apart, but there are also some things that don't. However, since we noticed a few things in our music that may set us apart a bit too noticeably, we thought it would be our responsibility to finally talk about it in detail, without revealing ourselves too much. If you are interested, you can leave a comment below if you would like to.

(P.S. we know we kind of sound a bit rambling. Our English is a bit rusty and we rarely communicate with a lot of people these days.)

"If You're Not Paying For The Product, You Are The Product" (19-01-2025)

"If You're Not Paying For The Product, You Are The Product"

To what extent is that true?

This assumes that the people who offer free stuff are selling your data in some way. Many websites have a Privacy Policy where they outline what data is being collected and how it is being used.

If a website points out that there are external links and that it is the user's responsibility to be aware of how those websites collect your data and to enter at your own risk, then in a way, yes, you're still the product even if the main website isn't actually selling your data in some way.

But even so, there are ways the user could protect their own data from being sold, like maybe using a VPN or an ad blocker. Although it is argued that VPNs and ad blockers can and may collect your personal data as well.

If you're on the Tor network and you host your own website, whatever means you use to host it can technically collect the data of whoever visits your website. This is needed to keep everything in check, to make sure everything works fine. It's not like in the clearnet where displaying targeted advertisements or researching user demographics to make money off them is a priority. If you pay a business to host your website, then the argument becomes a bit more valid depending on the privacy policy of the business. If they're just like everyone else and they collect data to make money off users, then there's a real concern. Even more so if it's a clearnet website, as clearnet hosting providers are held to higher standards than darknet ones (because they are often NOT anonymous).

So, in most cases, the aforementioned adage is true. Now, does it apply to ГОМК? It's complicated. Although OnionShare does keep track of visitors and highlights whether someone clicked something, we do not have the ability to just take that data and sell it to some big boss, because we technically govern ourselves. We are not owned by any businesses or any third party. However, we sometimes may rely on third parties to, for example, host our files for us so we can give them away for free, but those external websites tend to be known for their privacy and reliability. Nevertheless, there may be a tiny chance that those websites are being disingenuous and acting against our best interests in some covert way unknown to us. We all have to be careful about those kinds of websites because you never know. That is why it is, in certain (and arguably most) cases, better to self-host your files than to have some third party website do it for you. It is also why we are now considering self-hosting our content.

Sometimes life is more complicated than what an old saying suggests.

Anonymity and Accountability (28-02-2025)

What do you often hear when people speak of the reasons they decide to go anonymous? Well, actually, not many would tell you, or just about anyone. For the most part, it's because they want to keep their personal information or activities private, whether it's due to freedom of expression, avoidance of repercussions like censorship, or personal safety in general. In this post, we will focus more on the repercussions part. Because there is a nagging question: at what point is anonymity used to avoid all possible accountability? This is especially true with how many people, especially on the Tor network, use their anonymity to engage in harassment, sharing of illegal material, and even hacking various websites to sell confidential data. Now, this is not to imply that anonymity always has to involve a lack of accountability. Instead, it is to highlight the boundaries that can be crossed to a certain extent. A whistleblower reporting government misconduct is not exactly the same as that one user who shares leaks of random girls in the nude. The former intends to bring the wrongdoing to light so that the perpetrators can be found guilty, and the latter does it mostly because he can and he is able to. And horniness.

In some cases, some creative people (like us) do it to express themselves creatively without being tied to their real life identity. It's getting harder to express oneself in this day and age especially with all the censorship in mainstream social media increasing. However, this is not without ethical dilemmas. Obviously the most known one is the case of the person who makes "art" in a way that is plagiarized or stolen from others, It may or may not be immediately apparent. Or the case of the person who engages in offensive art to provoke a reaction. They may get kicked out of a lot of groups, or they may remain in their own group that welcomes their behavior. It can be difficult to hold them accountable for their actions, as they may engage in creating sock accounts. It just goes to show that, for every anonymous user, there is an ethical dilemma, if you believe in that stuff.

Some anonymous groups have gone so far to introduce boundaries, like everyone else who wants to set limits for any unwanted behavior. But those groups face their own unique challenges compared to non-anonymous groups. The anonymous groups often have to struggle with establishing trust among members (unless they're a closed group and they know each other well), as users may be hesitant to share personal information or form connections with others when their identities are unknown. This can lead to a lack of cohesion and make it harder to set and enforce boundaries. Furthermore, it can be difficult to track user behavior and identify patterns of problematic activity, due to the fact that users may go lengths to avoid detection. It's part of the reason why some anonymous groups are invite only, or require payment to join. In some cases, neither the groups nor their members hold themselves accountable, and their leaders may be in on the scam, or whatever.

The reality is that anonymity can be a double-edged sword, providing benefits such as freedom of speech and protection from prosecution for doing the right thing, but also potentially enabling malicious behavior. The trick is to strike a balance between staying anonymous and ensuring accountability, whether through encouraging responsible online behavior, implementing measures to prevent abuse (like DDOS protection), or, in the long term, fostering a culture of transparency and accountability, where everyone is encouraged to take responsibility for their actions. It's really up to everyone to ensure that accountability is maintained even in places where it's hard to enforce it.