Listening Bar Advisory — Rafi Mercer
Tracks & Tales Advisory
Sound is the new luxury. Across hotels, bars, private homes and new developments, the world is shifting toward a quieter, more intentional way of experiencing music — rooms where sound is not background, but the defining signature of the space.
Rafi Mercer helps build those rooms. Founder of Tracks & Tales and one of the leading voices in global listening culture, he advises hospitality groups, architects, developers and luxury homeowners on how to make sound the centre of the experience.
What Rafi Mercer Does
Rafi Mercer works at the intersection of acoustics, culture, design and narrative. His work shapes spaces where people don’t just hear music — they feel it.
Whether you’re creating a listening bar, refining a hotel’s sonic identity or designing a private listening room at home, he brings a rare combination of:
- Deep experience in sound and space
- Global knowledge of listening venues
- Design and hospitality awareness
- Narrative intelligence
- The instinct to know what a room should feel like
This is advisory for brands and spaces who want sound to become part of their identity.
The Rafi Mercer Six
Global flagship services.
The master plan for a true listening-led venue.
A full cultural and sonic concept: listening philosophy, guest journey, atmosphere, rituals, layout, flow and narrative.
How your room should sound — independent, brand-agnostic guidance.
System advice, placement, acoustic behaviour, tuning, refinement.
A complete sound identity for hospitality brands.
Day/night arcs, multi-room flow, playlists, rituals, transitions, staff sound etiquette, rollout kits.
Creative direction for launches where listening is the centrepiece.
Launch plan, opening playlists, rituals, atmosphere, positioning, press and storytelling support.
Signature listening rooms for private clients and developers.
System spec, layout, ambience, materials, vinyl storage, personal sound identity.
A discreet, narrative-driven audit of your existing space.
Atmosphere scoring, behaviour of sound, brand-fit, fix-list, 3-month transformation plan.
Building a meaningful collection, one that sounds lived-in, not random.
For collectors, new listeners, or homeowners creating a dedicated listening room, Rafi Mercer offers a discreet vinyl collection service — part curation, part personal shopping, part cultural direction.
Where listening culture meets storytelling.
Rafi Mercer is available for interviews, editorial features, and podcast conversations on:
- The rise of listening bars
- Global sound-led hospitality
- Rituals of slow listening
- Vinyl culture
- Music as spatial design
- The psychology of atmosphere
- The future of high-fidelity retail
A Rafi Mercer DJ set is closer to a listening session than a club night.
Designed for openings, brand events, hospitality venues, hotel lounges, retreats, and intimate private gatherings.
Genres and moods include:
- Japanese jazz & kissa classics
- Deep downtempo
- Quiet house
- Ambient & minimal
- Global soul
- Late-night vinyl sessions
Who This Is For
Boutique hotels & global hospitality groups, Listening bars, vinyl cafés, cocktail bars
- Architects & interior designers
- Luxury residential developers
- High-net-worth homeowners
- Audio & lifestyle brands
- Residential AV teams
If your project involves sound, space, culture or atmosphere, Rafi Mercer can define it.
Why Rafi Mercer
Rafi Mercer spent twelve years at Virgin Group worldwide, observing how music changes behaviour in public space. Later, at QXL Ricardo, he learned how communities form around shared interests.
Through Tracks & Tales, he now maps listening bars and sound-led venues worldwide, becoming one of the most trusted narrators of slow listening culture.
His advisory practice brings this expertise directly into the spaces you are building — where sound becomes intentional, not incidental.
Start a Project
Whether you’re opening a listening bar, refining a hotel’s sonic identity or designing a private listening room, the first step is a short conversation.
International projects welcome. Travel billed separately for onsite work.
Please complete the form below.
Support the art of slow listening
Tracks & Tales runs on curiosity and caffeine. One coffee at a time keeps the stories and soundscapes flowing.