Hefty Records
Hefty Records is an independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois (USA). Founded in 1995 by John Hughes III (aka Slicker), the label has established itself as a home for innovative electronica. The label releases a range in genres that include post-rock, IDM, down-tempo, nu jazz, experimental music, and hip-hop.
History
Hefty Records was formed by John Hughes (as well as Bill Ding and Dan Snazelle) as a way of releasing Hughes own music. It was created while Hughes was still on campus at the Ohio University (setting it up in his dorm room) in 1995. Their first releases were two 7" singles and one EP created using basic analog technologies. After some minor promotion, Ding was put on college radio. This lead to The Euphone record that Ryan Rapsys had collaborated. Soon afterwards a demo was given to Hughes from Scott Herren. Hughes accepted Scott Herren's request and he was added to the labels artists under the name Savath and Savalas. Hefty next began the Immediate Action series in 2000; a collection intending to end up with six vinyls. The first record out was the Savath + Savalas 12-inch Immediate Action #001 with all the records hand pressed by Hughes. The sleeves were created by a graphics company in Brooklyn called Graphic Havoc. They used a stencil and spray painting technique to create each different album; with just stickers to tell them apart. This series was met with success, and fulfilled the concept of getting the music out quick, in limited quantities, and with little promotion. As Hefty Records continued, so did the amounts of demo by independent artists hoping to be accepted to the group. Telefon Tel Aviv was the next group to show up on the recording company's records. Hefty Records is still putting out new material to this day.
Artists
- Euphone
- Eliot Lipp
- Victor Bermon
- Ghosts & Vodka
- L'Altra
- Phil Ranelin
- Savath and Savalas
- Samadha Trio
- John Hughes/Slicker
- Telefon Tel Aviv
- Smaze
- Plus Device
- Retina.IT
- Radicalfashion
- Samadha
- Solo Andata
- Some Water and Sun
- Spanova
Compilation Albums
- Immediate Action series of 9 EP's
- 10th Anniversary series of 4 albums