Stories
Do You Have to Stay Quiet at a Listening Bar?
Do you need to stay quiet in a listening bar? Rafi Mercer explores the etiquette of sound, silence, and sociability in spaces designed for slow, attentive listening.
Do You Have to Stay Quiet at a Listening Bar?
Do you need to stay quiet in a listening bar? Rafi Mercer explores the etiquette of sound, silence, and sociability in spaces designed for slow, attentive listening.
Paris, Without Reservation
Rafi Mercer recalls an intoxicating night in Paris where sound, love, and exhaustion blurred — ending with Massive Attack’s The Spoils carrying him home.
Paris, Without Reservation
Rafi Mercer recalls an intoxicating night in Paris where sound, love, and exhaustion blurred — ending with Massive Attack’s The Spoils carrying him home.
A Beginner’s Guide to the Jazz Kissa
Rafi Mercer introduces the jazz kissa: Japan’s postwar cafés where silence, vinyl, and high-fidelity sound shaped a culture of deep listening.
A Beginner’s Guide to the Jazz Kissa
Rafi Mercer introduces the jazz kissa: Japan’s postwar cafés where silence, vinyl, and high-fidelity sound shaped a culture of deep listening.
From Kissa to Listening Bar: A Heritage of Atte...
Rafi Mercer reflects on the subtle but important differences between Japan’s traditional jazz kissa and today’s modern listening bars — and why that heritage matters.
From Kissa to Listening Bar: A Heritage of Atte...
Rafi Mercer reflects on the subtle but important differences between Japan’s traditional jazz kissa and today’s modern listening bars — and why that heritage matters.
The Everywhere Rhythm: Learning to Hear in a Li...
Rafi Mercer reflects on how jazz rhythm shapes the world around us — and how listening bars, born from Japan’s jazz kissaten, help us learn to hear it.
The Everywhere Rhythm: Learning to Hear in a Li...
Rafi Mercer reflects on how jazz rhythm shapes the world around us — and how listening bars, born from Japan’s jazz kissaten, help us learn to hear it.
When Jazz Met Hip-Hop
Rafi Mercer explores how hip-hop sampled, borrowed, and reimagined jazz — from A Tribe Called Quest and Guru’s Jazzmatazz to Dr. Dre, De La Soul, and beyond.
When Jazz Met Hip-Hop
Rafi Mercer explores how hip-hop sampled, borrowed, and reimagined jazz — from A Tribe Called Quest and Guru’s Jazzmatazz to Dr. Dre, De La Soul, and beyond.