The Tracks & Tales Guide Daily
A running journal of the listening bar world — fragments, reflections, and discoveries written in the moment. Each piece follows the culture of slow listening as it unfolds, one record and one room at a time.
Tracks and Tales Daily
Miles Davis Kind of Blue: Returning to a Classic
Rafi Mercer reflects on Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue, a timeless album that reveals more with each listen, and why returning to classics matters.
Miles Davis Kind of Blue: Returning to a Classic
Rafi Mercer reflects on Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue, a timeless album that reveals more with each listen, and why returning to classics matters.
A Note on Journeys
Rafi Mercer introduces his essay on how albums become maps and cities become soundscapes. Read “Albums as Maps, Cities as Soundscapes” at Tracks & Tales.
A Note on Journeys
Rafi Mercer introduces his essay on how albums become maps and cities become soundscapes. Read “Albums as Maps, Cities as Soundscapes” at Tracks & Tales.
Meet the Selectors Taking Europe’s Listening Ba...
Europe’s new wave of selectors are the daredevils of listening bars. Rafi Mercer explores how they push sound to extremes, shaping nights with risk and precision.
Meet the Selectors Taking Europe’s Listening Ba...
Europe’s new wave of selectors are the daredevils of listening bars. Rafi Mercer explores how they push sound to extremes, shaping nights with risk and precision.
Friday Night in a Listening Bar: Rituals, Recor...
Friday nights belong to listening bars. Rafi Mercer reflects on the ritual of the first track, the pour, and the randomness that shapes the weekend’s beginning.
Friday Night in a Listening Bar: Rituals, Recor...
Friday nights belong to listening bars. Rafi Mercer reflects on the ritual of the first track, the pour, and the randomness that shapes the weekend’s beginning.
Terry Callier: The Tone That Returns
Rafi Mercer reflects on Terry Callier, his timeless tone, his link to Massive Attack, and the upcoming remaster of The New Folk Sound of Terry Callier.
Terry Callier: The Tone That Returns
Rafi Mercer reflects on Terry Callier, his timeless tone, his link to Massive Attack, and the upcoming remaster of The New Folk Sound of Terry Callier.
The Story of the Selector: Finding Music Beyond...
Rafi Mercer on the role of the selector, from Gilles Peterson to anonymous figures in Japanese listening bars, and how stories shape the way we hear music.
The Story of the Selector: Finding Music Beyond...
Rafi Mercer on the role of the selector, from Gilles Peterson to anonymous figures in Japanese listening bars, and how stories shape the way we hear music.