Hefty Records is an

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

based in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

(United States). Founded in 1995 by John Hughes III,Hefty Records: Looking to the Future
''

XLR8R ''XLR8R'' (pronounced "accelerator") is a website that covers music, culture, style, and technology. It was originally also a print magazine. History and profile ''XLR8R'' was founded as a newsprint zine in 1993 by publisher Andrew Smith in Sea ...

'', September 29, 2005. the label releases records in a range of genres that include

post-rock Post-rock is a form of experimental rock characterized by a focus on exploring textures and timbre over traditional rock song structures, chords, or riffs. Post-rock artists are often instrumental, typically combining rock instrumentation with ...

, IDM,

down-tempo Downtempo (or downbeat) is a broad label for electronic music that features an atmospheric sound and slower beats than would typically be found in dance music. Closely related to ambient music but with greater emphasis on rhythm, the style may ...

nu jazz Nu jazz (also known as jazztronica, or future jazz) is a genre of jazz and electronic music. The music blends jazz elements with other musical styles, such as funk, electronic music, and free improvisation.Definition from Sergey Chernov, June 7, ...

experimental music Experimental music is a general label for any music or music genre that pushes existing boundaries and genre definitions. Experimental compositional practice is defined broadly by exploratory sensibilities radically opposed to, and questioning of, ...

, 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.Label Oral Histories: Hefty Records
''Stop Smiling'', October 23, 2006. 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''.The Interview: John Hughes III, Hefty Records
. ''Chicagoist'', May 22, 2006. Their last release was in 2010.

Artists

* Victor Bermon *

Phil Cohran Kelan Phil Cohran (May 8, 1927 June 28, 2017) was a jazz musician. He was best known for playing trumpet in the Sun Ra Arkestra in Chicago from 1959 to 1961, and for his involvement in the foundation of the Association for the Advancement of Cre ...

* Euphone *

Ghosts and Vodka Ghosts and Vodka was an American instrumental math rock band from Chicago. The band was made up of two guitarists, Victor Villareal, and Sam Zurick, bassist Erik Bocek, and drummer Scott Shellhamer. The band formed after Bocek and Zurick met V ...

L'Altra L'Altra is an indie rock/electronic/chamber pop band from Chicago, Illinois. Bio L'Altra is an indie rock/electronic band consisting of principle songwriters Joseph Desler Costa and Lindsay Anderson joined by drummer Charles Rumback and guitarist ...

Eliot Lipp Eliot Lipp is an American electronic music artist and DJ based in Brooklyn, New York. His work was picked up by Scott Herren of Prefuse 73 (Warp Records) after Herren heard him working the club circuit. In 2004, Lipp released his first studio al ...

* Plus Device *

Prefuse 73 Guillermo Scott Herren is an American producer who has been based in Atlanta, Barcelona and New York City. Herren releases music under the aliases Prefuse 73, Delarosa & Asora, Ahmad Szabo, and Piano Overlord, and is also part of the groups S ...

* Radicalfashion *

Phil Ranelin Phil Ranelin (born May 25, 1939) is an American jazz and experimental music trombonist. Career Ranelin was born in Indianapolis and lived in New York City before moving to Detroit in the 1960s. He played as a session musician on many Motown rec ...

* Retina.IT *

Savath and Savalas Guillermo Scott Herren is an American producer who has been based in Atlanta, Barcelona and New York City. Herren releases music under the aliases Prefuse 73, Delarosa & Asora, Ahmad Szabo, and Piano Overlord, and is also part of the groups Sa ...

* Slicker * Smaze * Samadha * Solo Andata * Some Water and Sun *

Spanova Spanova is a Japanese music duo formed by Ken and Shin Tasaki. The brothers started composing and playing instruments together from the very early age, absorbing every kinds of music they were exposed; from 1970s an 1980s Pop and Rock as they alw ...

Telefon Tel Aviv Telefon Tel Aviv is a New Orleans–derived, Chicago-based American electronic music act, formerly comprising Charles Cooper and Joshua Eustis. Since Cooper's accidental death in 2009, Telefon Tel Aviv has continued with Eustis as the sole official ...

T. Raumschmiere Marco Haas (born 1975) is a punk techno DJ known by the stage name T.Raumschmiere. He has released two albums of aggressive electropop and has worked with Miss Kittin and Ellen Allien, and helped found the Shitkatapult record label. He is als ...

Twine (band) Twine is an American electronic music duo that formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1997. In addition to releasing four albums and one EP, the duo have also created two royalty-free libraries of audio samples for the Sonic Foundry digital audio worksta ...

Compilation albums

Immediate Action Guillermo Scott Herren is an American producer who has been based in Atlanta, Barcelona and New York City. Herren releases music under the aliases Prefuse 73, Delarosa & Asora, Ahmad Szabo, and Piano Overlord, and is also part of the groups Sa ...

series of 9 EP's * Hefty's 10th Anniversary series of 4 albums

References

External links

Official site
American independent record labels Record labels established in 1995 Alternative rock record labels Electronic music record labels Hip hop record labels Companies based in Chicago {{US-independent-record-label-stub