Nuclear War Now! Productions Founder Yosuke Konishi to Open Record-Pressing Plant - Kickstarter Campaign To Begin In March

Today, Yosuke Konishi - founder and owner of the American metal label Nuclear War Now! Productions, which has been active (and incredibly prolific) for 24 years now - announces the formation of Helios Press, a new record-pressing plant that's under construction in Brady, Texas.

"Helios Press will be a completely separate business from Nuclear War Now!, and our mission is to press high-quality records for all genres, not just metal," Konishi begins. "The goal is to open the factory and start pressing records by late 2024."

As a label, Nuclear War Now! was light years ahead of the curve, catering to vinyl maniacs in the metal underground long before vinyl became the de rigueur format, and always striving for the best-possible productions. Konishi's experience these past 24 years - to date, the label has released over 700 items, and has a dedicated mail-order that's been running equally as long, with a full retail store opening in Austin, Texas in 2021 - undoubtedly plays into the ethos of Helios Press, which will likewise strive for the highest standards of vinyl quality.

"What began for me as a bedroom hobby gradually evolved into a side business and, finally, a career," Konishi reveals. "Starting a pressing plant was something that's been circulating in my head for several years now. The long wait times during the pandemic, the ever-increasing shipping cost from Europe and Asia, the lack of manufacturing in the United States, and not having control over quality were some of the reasons for wanting my own factory. It was a logical next step for me, so I partnered with a friend to start Helios Press. In fact, we're actually halfway there! We've already bought a warehouse in Brady, and four manual record-pressing machines have been ordered from Germany." 

However, there's still work ahead for Helios Press. Konishi continues: "Up to this point, we have relied entirely on our personal resources to finance this enormous project. We are currently saving up for a boiler/chiller system that will be used by the vinyl presses. These are not cheap, so we're planning to run a Kickstarter campaign in early March to raise more capital."

Raising additional capital will be crucial for Helios Press, and the Kickstarter campaign will be ready in early March. Additional news will be revealed shortly, but a video featuring Konishi further explaining the decision to start Helios Press can be viewed below at Nuclear War Now!'s official YouTube channel.

"I want to thank all of my supporters for getting me to this point," he concludes. "I'm very excited for this new venture, and hopefully you are, as well! Together, we will make Helios Press into a world-class pressing plant for the underground and beyond."