Hefty Records is an independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois (United States). Founded in 1995 by John Hughes III, the label releases records in a range of genres that include post-rock, IDM, down-tempo, nu jazz, experimental music, and hip-hop.
History
Hefty Records was formed by John Hughes with Dan Snazelle as a way of releasing Hughes' own music. Hughes, the son of filmmaker John Hughes, had been interested in music since his youth, but had initially been more interested in record production than in creating music of his own. The label was formed in 1995 while Hughes was a college student, and was originally set up in his dorm room. Hughes chose the label name because, as he put it, "I liked it because it sounded optimistic. And it had a conquering tone to it."
The first label's releases were of Hughes's own work as Slicker just after the breakup of his previous band Bill Ding. Hefty began the Immediate Action series in 2000, a collection intended to consist of six vinyl records. The sleeves were created by the Brooklyn graphics company Graphic Havoc. In 2005, the label hosted a live concert in Chicago and released two volumes of compilation and remix material from artists on the label, titled History is Bunk: Collaborations, Reinterpretations and New Compositions. Their last release was in 2010.
Artists
Victor Bermon
Phil Cohran
Euphone
Ghosts and Vodka
L'Altra
Eliot Lipp
Plus Device
Prefuse 73
Radicalfashion
Phil Ranelin
Retina.IT
Savath and Savalas
Slicker
Smaze
Samadha
Solo Andata
Some Water and Sun
Spanova
Telefon Tel Aviv
T. Raumschmiere
Twine (band)
