Once More Down The Rabbit Hole - Morc Records
As we welcome autumn here in the U.K., we have also welcomed a selection of new artists and labels onto the webshop - my tastes are always changing and evolving, and I find myself listening to more and more ambient and experimental / avant garde music than ever before, which I feel is definitely being reflected in the store’s new additions. One such new addition is Gent-based experimental label Morc Records…
Kaninhål originally began life as a (now defunct) blog back in 2020, and I first became aware of Morc around this time (I believe the first release I listened to was Soccer Committee’s ‘Tell from the tall grass’ back in 2021). Fast forward to autumn 2025 and Kaninhal is now stocking Morc Records releases, with them calling on Soccer Committee once more for their latest (and 94th!) offering.
The label has been headed up by Wim since its inception back in the late nineties and for the last 27 years has been releasing top-tier experimental music, with a roster that includes Felicia Atkinson, Pefkin, Edgar Wappenhalter and the aforementioned soccer Committee. In a time where trends shift so rapidly, Morc continues to stand the test of time, with a steady and consistent release schedule, which offers up music that feels truly timeless.
As part of our partnership, Wim has kindly shared some of his insights in running an independent label, trends he predicts for 26/27 and shines a light on some of the other experimental labels that currently sit in his listening pile.
As a complement to these insights, Wim has also produced a mixtape, composed solely of Morc releases past and present - this is the inaugural edition of OMDTR (Once More Down The Rabbit Hole), where guests (label owners / artists etc) are invited to dive deep in both insight and their record collection (you can find the link to the mixtape below)
Kroppskännedom - Kroppskännedom
(J) Can you recall your first introduction to ambient / experimental music?
(W) I gradually slipped into it, I guess: as a young teenager I was into grunge and 'alternative' guitarrock, and followed the path that led to dinosaur jr, then sebadoh, and the touch and go/kill rock stars/matador scenes.
I was (am) very, very much into hometaping lofi-musicians. I guess that's how I slowly got into 'non-traditional' rock, often with a drone/jangle under the melody. then as a student i got aware of a kranky label-sampler, and I guess that was the real eye/ear-opening thing - it's how I got into eg jessica bailiff, windy and carl, labradford...that 'kranky kompilation' is still a reference point in my collection. Throughout the years I picked up releases by pretty much everyone on that cd - and some of them (Jessica Bailiff, Windy And Carl, Pan American, Roy Montgomery) are artists that I'm following to this very day.
(J) What led you to starting Morc, and at a time where the internet was still a fledgling invention, how did you start (and market) the label?
(W) Pretty much like most labels I guess: I wanted to put out my own music as something more than a demo tape, so I started putting a label name on my circle brothers-cassettes, my own record company (MORC) was born.
In the late nineties, we were trading music via addresses written in fanzines - you'd send something, and hope to get a tape back. Around that time, most people did have email addresses though, which made communication easier.
But since transferring money internationally was complicated and expensive, we mostly traded releases. For getting your name out, you'd send cassettes to zines, and hope for the best.
You sometimes got into funny situations: I recall reading a review of circle brothers in which I was compared to karina esp, someone of course i never heard about: it was just someone who happened to send a cassette to the same zine. but: we got in touch after that (I think Chris of karina esp wrote me first), and we're good friends till this very day. and I also recall reading a Drekka review in which the reviewer said it'd be something for Morc - I had done 5-6 tapes by that point maybe, but that was the first time I heard that name for sure.
To get the name out, flyers were really a thing: you sent a bunch of flyers along with a tape to another label/zine, and hoped that they would pass those on with your order.
soccer Committee - Love / Lamb
(J) It’s always fascinating to hear marketing and distribution stories from back then. I know that running a label has changed a great deal in the 26 years you have been running Morc, but where have you seen the biggest shift?
(W) Good: it's definitely easier to get your music out there - not just online, but also for pressing a record. so it gets easier.
bad: since everyone is getting their music out so easily, there's so much out there that the lifespan of a release has decreased dramatically. Pretty much everything older than 3 months is considered 'not new' anymore, and therefore less relevant. I get it, but it's a shame.
(J) I completely agree with this - there is a lot of new music nowadays. I can certainly say from my (short) experience that it can be hard to keep up with stocking these, especially for a small shop.
(W) Technically: When I started, cassettes were almost out of the picture, because most diy-labels switched to cdr.and now the cassette is back (well, not on the same level as before, but still), cd's are frowned upon. I'm ready for the return of the cd as a popular medium in 2027.
(J) Interesting - I’ve always admired cassettes as a format - perhaps I’m drawn to the neatness of them. In terms of putting a release together, how does this normally begin - do you approach artists or would you normally select demo submissions and develop the project from there?
(W) I haven't used many 'traditional' demos. mostly it's that I'm aware of an artist, and then suggest a release. Often we're orbiting in the same circles for a while. It also happens that an artist has something specific ready that he/she thinks would fit well on Morc, and that I agree on that.
This being said: I do listen to most of the demo's I get, and sometimes i'd like to release a specific album, but just can't due to practical issues (Morc is not my real job, of course). so I have to limit myself to 3-4 releases per year, maximum.
(J) I think everyone would love to see a Morc compilation LP! If you could choose one artist to release on Morc (who hasn't already done so, who would it be?)
(W) Hmm, I'm just as happy if an artist has a good home elsewhere, really. So I don't dream of 'signing' other artists. Best option would be a debut, or someone who's not recording for a specific label then? Let's go for that option, and select Carin Sloan (that's Carin of the Iditarod). I admit, I put out 2 albums of theirs, but Carin sort of stopped playing music publically for well over a decade. Every now and then, I try to persuade her to record something new, and who knows? I can only dream it might happen at some point?
(J) That’s a good answer - and favourite ambient / experimental label that is currently releasing music?
(W) No surprise, but i'm really into the entire Discreet music scene: all albums are at least really good, and quite a few are just sublime. Personal favoyrites from their back catalogue include Facit, Leda, Enhet for Fri Music, treasury of puppies, Astrid Oster Mortensen and Blod being my favourites. All incredible.
I'm also always keeping an eye on new releases by Trome, Bluesanct and Vrystaete - since those all work at a slower pace, it's easier to keep up with them as well. Every new release is a bit like seeing an old friend, even if it's a new artist on the label.
Note - since this interview I have gone on to listen to the discography of Vrystaete (it had passed me by that it was a sub-label of Enfant Terrible) - an amazing list of releases.
(J) Can you describe your home setup - would you class yourself as a vinyl / cassette / cd collector?
(W) Most of it is in our living room, where we have the complete stereo and the majority of our collection - all the 7"s, all the tapes, most of our lps and cds. It's enough to fill a small but nice record store by now, and still, I don't consider myself a 'collector': I'm not looking for special pressings or editions, just things that I really want to be able to grab, and listen to. There's a lot to grab though.
In the kitchen, we have an lp player and a cd player, where we listen mostly to newer purchases and some 'classics' that we take from the living room. I'd guess we keep around 100 lps and 50 cds in the kitchen? and there's always a small pile of cds on my desk as well.
(J) What does the future hold for Morc?
Quite a lot - a new Pefkin lp is in production right now - should be out early 2026. and some morc-regulars are working on / finishing up new releases. all in all 4 releases already for 2026. That's probably the maximum we can handle. We also have a fun event planned around Easter that we're planning right now. it'll be worth the trip to belgium, i can already tell you!
Thanks to Wim for his insight and mixtape! This marks the inaugural edition of OMDTR (Once More Down The Rabbit Hole) where guests (label owners / artists etc) are invited to dive deep in both insight and their record collection.
You can listen to the mixtape here.
Like what you hear? Why not check out our full range of releases from Morc Records.