Yum Cha Chats: Two Lanes take a studio break to share their favourite directors & films

Rafa and Leo Schmid are two Berlin-based brothers in sound — they launched their careers as Two Lanes in 2017 as a producer duo, and it's been an upward trajectory of successful releases since. Their most notable and early rise came with two major remixes for Zhu and Skrillex on 'Working for It', as well as San Holo's 'The Future'.

Fast forward to 2021, and they've up their game on their latest single 'Reflections', ahead of a forthcoming 'Reflections EP' on San Holo's well-loved imprint, bitbird.

So while they've been incredibly busy in the studio, we've been nudging them to chat about one of their favourite things to do to unwind, get inspired and re-connect their minds in new realms — and emotively driven cinema directed by their favourite visionaries does it for them. Two Lanes takes us through a selection of the best films by their most inspiring directors from around world. Tune in below.

Blow Up is a movie by director Michaelangelo Antonioni.

The movie is about the flamboyant life of a London fashion photographer who may or may not have witnessed a murder while taking some pictures in a park. We love one specific scene that really resonates with us where an artist describes his process of creating his paintings — “they (his paintings) don't mean anything when I do them. Just a mess. Afterwards, I find something to hang on to… Like that...Like That leg. Then it sorts itself out.”

It describes perfectly how inspiration and motivation have an impact on the creative process.

Volver is a movie by Spanish director Pedro Almodovar.

Our father actually grew up in Madrid. He introduced us to Spanish movies and Almodovarʼs were among our favorites. We especially like the rawness and the strong, expressive pictures in his movies.

The Place Beyond the Pines is a movie by American director Derek Cianfrance.

It is a dramatic triptych about family, father and son relationships and its impact on future generations.

The whole aesthetic and vibe of the movie had a big impact on us. There is this scene where Luke, the protagonist of the first chapter, drives down a road in the woods which repeats later on in the movie, when his son rides his bike down the same road shortly after he had talked to his fatherʼs old friend. The way it is filmed and the connection in the story telling makes this scene really special.

Born To Be Blue is a movie by Canadian director Robert Budreau.

We are both big fans of Chet Bakerʼs music and listen to his music a lot. Our dad is a Jazz musician too so we went to many BigBand concerts when we were young. The movie tells the story of the ups and downs in his career. We especially enjoyed the parts when he plays his music in the studio or on stage.

The Square is a movie by Swedish director Ruben Östlund.

We watched the movie during a flight to Los Angeles and really liked it. There is just something about watching movies on a flight..