The best and worst things about being a tour DJ, according to two of the best DJs in the business

Loosely, the term "tour DJ" can be applied to any DJ who has played on a tour, whether their own or as a support act for another artist.

Here, we are referring to only the latter.

DJ EASE and DJ Trayze are two of the world's most esteemed turntablist DJs and have experience in both fields.

DJ EASE is a multiple title-winning DJ from Brooklyn, New York. Among his titles are the Goldie Awards world championship, as well as the DMC Technics and Red Bull 3Style US championships.

He is the current tour DJ for rapper Young M.A. and DJ Paul of Three 6 Mafia.

DJ Trayze is a former Red Bull 3Style US champion and two-time world finalist who has toured with R&B duo Nina Sky, and electronic and alternative rock band Plastilina Mosh.

As a producer, he has official music releases with Universal Republic, Interscope, and Warner Music.

The primary job of a tour DJ is to open up for the main act by playing a warm-up set.

Warm-up sets range in length and content depending on both the act the tour DJ is opening for and the crowd.

"I'd play high energy music adjacent to their style, just to get the crowd hyped up," Trayze told Insider of his time touring with Nina Sky. "A mix of new stuff and old stuff that sets them up well to come in and do their set."

Tour DJs may also play onstage with the main act, playing out the act's songs from their decks, performing scratch freestyles, and hyping up the crowd with a microphone.

"Doing opening sets is fun," said Trayze. "I love putting a lot of time and effort into making my own song edits and making the routine exciting."

"Plus, you have a captive audience," he added. "They're already there to see the artists play, as opposed to playing at a nightclub or bar, where you have to work a lot harder to get them all hyped up and moving."

EASE said: "I try to read the crowd. If it's a straight hip-hop event, I like to go all out with tricks. But if it's a festival or something where you're warming up for, like, Blink-182, I try to cater to that audience."

"I've even done EDM sets before where I had to throw some super high-energy stuff. The variety is cool," added EASE.

"It can be a little nerve-racking," said Trayze when asked about the challenges of playing to big crowds.

"But the high pressure helps me because you just can't make mistakes. I thrive in those environments — large crowds, stadiums, festivals, pyrotechnics, fireworks. That kind of pressure just pumps me up even more."

EASE said that while he now also thrives under pressure like Trayze, it wasn't something that came to him naturally.

"I'm an introvert," he said. "So I'm nervous, but only for like the first three minutes. No matter how big or small the crowd is."

"There's always some kind of equipment hurdle," said Trayze. "No matter what, even touring with bands and groups, you still have problems with gear."

Common problems include the equipment venues provide not working properly or being incompatible with the DJ's own equipment, said Trayze.

"At the end of the day, if something happens, it looks bad on me, so I have to make sure that all my stuff is tight and I don't make myself look bad and make the group or the band look bad," he added.

EASE has played gigs all over the world, including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada, and the United States.

His favorite place to play is Japan.

"They mix a lot of cultures out there," he said. "Like hip-hop is crazy out there. The record stores are crazy. They're very open-minded to music. So you can play a party out, and you can play Wu-Tang and Three 6 Mafia in the same set and nobody would be upset."

"Everybody's just like vibing you know? A lot of happy people that are happy to see you," he added. "And the ramen, man. The food is so good."

"I don't want to sound like complaining because I love my job, but airports are annoying, not fun," said Trayze.

"Traveling is generally not fun, or glamorous. I love to travel and I love the destination. It's just the getting there and dealing with airports and stuff, that can get a little exhausting."

"The travel days are long. Sometimes you get right off the plane, and you have to go play without having a lot of time to rest up, so that can be challenging too," he added.

"It's really hard being away from my daughter on the road," said EASE. "I talk to her every day on FaceTime, but she understands my job. She's known my lifestyle since she was born. I was a DJ before that."

"She's been traveling just as much as me on planes and everything. She's been traveling since she was born," he added. "But a lot of this stuff I do is for her, even though it takes me away from her sometimes."

Like many working in the music industry these days, DJs often have multiple streams of income.

EASE, among other things, produces sets for radio stations, while Trayze makes his own music and remixes, which, at the moment, he releases on Patreon and DJ City.

"You just need a laptop with any digital audio workstation, some headphones, and if you want, like a little tiny MIDI controller," said Trayze. "And then you can make everything on the road."

"I can make music anywhere and I do it on the road all the time," he added.

EASE said there is often a heavy culture of drinking and partying when on tour. Though it can sometimes be fun, he said it's important not to get carried away.

"People always offer you drinks and there's always bottles around," he said. "And people are always inviting you out after the shows to go and drink and party."

"You've just got to learn to say no," he added. "I only drink with people I'm really close with who come to see me, but not people I don't know."

"I just don't get a lot out of it anymore."

"Being onstage and backing up acts is just great. I love the big crowds," said Trayze.

"Especially if I get to play my own music and edits too, I get to be a musician and a DJ, which is the best of both worlds for me."

"I love it," said EASE. "I get to play to big crowds and support great acts, and it also shines a great light on me."