MUMBAI: Mancunian DJ, currently based in Berlin, Rupert Taylor aka xxxy, performed in Pune and Chennai on the weekend before heading to Mumbai- the third city of his 5-leg India tour. Until three years ago, the DJ/producer worked in Manchester City Council, and found music a perfect escape to the job that he did not really enjoy. xxxy shot to fame with the single 'You Always Start With It', under Doc Daneeka's record label Ten Thousand Yen, and his work was named the "best new track" by Pitchfork in January 2011.

xxxy's experiment with sound, and patience helped him grow with varied styles and genres became a regular routine. xxxy's forte is classic house and techno, but he ventured into drum n bass- a territory he never wishes to visit again. For his maiden India tour with Red Bull Music Academy, Taylor spoke to Radioandmusic.com about his first festival and journey.

You have mentioned previously how you like to explore genres and experiment with sound. Are you going to continue this approach and mindset for your upcoming work?

I think I am too restless to stick to one sound; I need to keep experimenting to keep myself interested.

Also a related style of your music has been the 'minimum use of vocals'. Was that a conscious decision you took before becoming a serious musician?

No, that is a recent decision; my early music depended very heavily on the use of sampled vocals and this use of samples nearly lead me to getting in trouble with copyright claims. So I decided to stop using samples as much as possible.

One of the tracks that received positive reviews from critics and fans alike was- You Always Start With It. Tell us more about the idea behind it.

It was made at home in my living room on headphones after getting home from my job at Manchester City Council.

You experimented with dubstep, then shifted to drum-n-bass and continue to evolve as a musician. With the experience and exposure, you have gained so far, do you think you can get back to dubstep and make it actually work?

I actually started making drum and bass and then moved into dubstep. I don't think I would ever go back to dubstep. I think that ship has sailed for me.

Was Manchester International Festival your first exposure, as a full fledged shows, to proper live audiences?

I was asked to perform at the festival, so I decided to put together a live show. It was my first and only live show, and I am definitely considering doing more live shows.

Your journey from a City council to an underground producer to touring countries really looks amazing for a reader. How would you describe it?

I was working a job which I did not hugely enjoy, and making music was my escape; when I got home I used to sit at my computer and make music until it was time for me to sleep. Some of the music I made got picked up by labels and I started getting DJ bookings. It got to a point when my earnings from bookings overtook my earnings from my work, and so I left my job to pursue my dreams. Since then it has been a fantastic experience playing and travelling.

Artists use social media to express and promote their work. Do you think it has made your job easier?

I think social media is definitely making it easier for artists to share their work and get feedback from fans.

Which has been your best gig so far? Plus, are you also a fan of boiler rooms?

My best gig has been at Sonar Festival in Barcelona in 2012.

I think the boiler room is a great concept as it gives artists a chance to play in front of a large online audience and expose them to people that may never have heard of them before.

You grew up in Manchester around the time when the city was high on Oasis and The Stone Roses. How much of the 'rock' culture and the 90s era influenced your early years as a musician?

I was into the music but not massively, I think that era of music held Manchester back, musically, because all the clubs were playing that music for many years after.