'An Introduction to' is my passion-project where I research and compile a profile of a group I am interested in, regardless of their tenure or music style. If I like it, they are probably going to be subject to my research methods at some point or another. Ultimately, my goal here is to create a heavily document post that includes the member profiles, a brief history of the group, and a little bit more if possible.
My reason for publishing these profiles is pretty simple: it gives other fans a window into what a group is about, and is easier for me to find down the line when I either need to look back at something, or for when I'm in need of updating my past research.
I also do this because, believe it or not, I actually find it fun.
With that said, today's group was actually one of the more frustrating that I have tackled, and it's all due to the lack of readily-available information, because all past blogs, old tweets and websites have since been deleted, and not all of it has been archived. Despite all of that, I persisted and did all I could, even if I feel that what I have done is not enough.
Internal frustrations aired, let's get into today's Idol Introducion. Returning to the land of the fairies who melt like ice, let's take an updated look at elfloat and see what they're up to, today.
*Despite excessive research, this post and its contents may be incomplete / incorrect, so I apologise in advance. I am in no way an expert on elfloat or idols in general, and I will never claim to be (unless it's for Houkago Princess). This article was simply made out of my passion and love for research and idols, and is my way of sharing something I enjoy with other fans. I did all I could in this post, and hope that you find it useful in the future. Finally, if any mistakes are found, please let me know. I am still improving with my editing, and appreciate your help. Thank you in advance.
The Origin Story
Prior to the groups inception, the company
blue clover Co., Ltd began in 2012 as a music video production company that created high quality content at a low cost. Based in Shibuya and headed by CEO
Nishiyama Yūsaku, the company gained a good reputation for its services, and would eventually branch into other forms of video production, such as live and CM works, and even live house management down the line. Most importantly, however, the company would go on to create its own sub-branch that focused on idol production.
It was in n May of 2014 that
elfloat (エルフロート) became the first group to debut under the
blue forest label. With an initial focus on costumes, lyrics that expressed a different world and a diverse range of music, elfloat were quick to gain success after their live debut, and down the line would be noted for their energetic and intense dance style that takes over the stage. Unsurprisingly, elfloat were considered to be the Ace unit of blue forest, and were the longest running group to come out of the company.
Since their first performance, elfloat has gained and held the status of being a Super Live Idol group, and will perform over 300 lives a year. Including solo and one man shows, the group continues to make a name for themselves, continually proving to be a successful, recognisable group regardless of their indies status. Of their live success, elfloat were able to attract 1,200 attendees to their Zepp Tokyo live in May of 2017, and have also held one-man lives at places such as Akasaka BLITZ and Shibuya O-EAST.
And despite their cute appearance and graceful demeanour, elfloat's music style is extremely diverse when it comes to its genres, and include styles such as pop, new wave, heavy metal, visual and club music. Not including two of the groups songs, former producer Nishiyama has acted as the mastermind behind all of the groups songs in terms of composing and producing their material, and has also written the lyrics for about 90% of their works.