John Key dabs in son Max's latest vlog

Aspiring DJ and YouTube star Max Key has drawn on the star power of his father in an effort to increase subscriptions to his video channel.

In his latest YouTube video, entitled 'MY FRIENDS THREW ME A SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY!!!', Max celebrates turning 22 with a self-narrated vlog at his parents' swanky Parnell mansion - and later the surprise party at a different address.

But the most memorable moment of his heavily edited 10-minute clip wasn't any of his birthday-related material - it was a cameo from his far more famous father, ex-Prime Minister John Key.

The video features Mr Key undertaking a dance move known as the dab and demonstrating just how disconnected he is from pop culture by failing to recall lyrics from an iconic pop song.

Just moments after Max explains that conditioning his hair makes him look like "a little b*tch" at about the three-minute mark, he then approaches his dad, who is perusing the barbecue.

"Hey dad, got any words for the hashtag vlog fam?" he asks, in barely comprehensible internet speak.

"Like and subscribe," newly appointed Air New Zealand board director Mr Key responds cheerily, before unleashing a ferocious dab to his son's obvious delight.

"So tonight's birthday vlog - everything's gonna be alright as long as we're dancing like we're what, dad?" Max asks, in an attempt to elicit a response borrowing from Taylor Swift's hit single '22'.

"Um," Mr Key laughs. "ABBA?"

"ABBA? No. It was actually a Taylor Swift quote," he informs his father, who doesn't seem too disappointed not to have known.

"Taylor Swift, I know that you're watching this, so firstly like and subscribe - and secondly, I'm sorry my dad didn't know the words to your song.

"He obviously turned 22 like 14 centuries ago," he said, laughing at his own joke before letting loose on yet another rambunctious dab.

Max now has more than 6300 subscribers to his YouTube channel.

Newshub.