Watch Mark Ronson & Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker Debut Their SZA Collab At Governors Ball
One of the highlights of this past weekend’s Governors Ball was Mark Ronson vs. Kevin Parker, a twilight DJ battle of sorts between the superstar producer and Tame Impala mastermind. Though billed as such it wasn’t really a battle: after the set I asked Parker which of them won and he demurred, pointing out that Ronson has been a professional DJ for 20 years, so no competition. This is also why Parker served as the set’s hype man, walking to the front of the stage occasionally to pump up the crowd. (Although IMO Ronson cheated by spinning “Bang Bang Bang” twice.)
Along with crowdpleasers from Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, and the Weeknd — and Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature,” which Parker introduced as his favorite song, into SWV’s “Right Here” — the playlist included the duo’s individual hits plus collabs like “Daffodils.” They also included what sounded like their demo for “Perfect Illusion” (Lady Gaga’s best song, don’t @ me) with Parker’s scratch vocals.
The guys have performed together at festivals before, both in a band set-up and behind the decks like they were Saturday night, but this showcase offered something unique in the debut of a funky new Ronson x Parker track featuring SZA on vocals. Ronson tells Stereogum it’s one of eight or so new songs he and the Tame Impala frontman have collaborated on, though the rest do not yet have vocalists attached. Check out video of the new song below.