Hefty Records was started in 1995 as a home for label owner John Hughes' own musical output. Acting on a desire to finally release the music he had been recording, paired with a healthy mistrust of another label being the one to do it, he founded his own label at age 19.  Hughes wanted to see his music through to completion, from songwriting to production to a final product that he could promote. Once the label had established itself with distribution and some initial press attention, Hughes invited other artists into the mix.

The sound was prefaced by an ingrained Chicago aesthetic ; a get-down-to-business mentality and a melting-pot of musical genres. Over the past 15 years, Hefty's catalog has found its identity through a strange balance of electronic and organic sounds with carefully crafted production that will sound infinitely great. From classics like Savath + Savalas, Telefon Tel Aviv, and Phil Ranelin to the more recent releases like Plus Device, radicalfashion, and Brood, the Hefty catalog presents a vast musical landscape that all somehow fits under the same umbrella.