Since his early childhood in Frankfurt, LPs and singles have been his favorite toys. His family's interest in music has played an important role in the growth of his love for music. In 1985, his family decided to move to Istanbul, where Tarkan continued playing his vinyls and recording tapes after coming home from school.
His professional music career started after he finished university and became a resident at Power FM. Right after showing up in the music scene as a radio DJ, he started to perform at the biggest clubs in Istanbul. Running fast in his music career, Tarkan had to take a short break to complete his military service from April to November 1997.
Upon his return to Istanbul, he took scene at “Radio 2019” as a DJ and Production Manager, and at the same time, he was performing at different clubs in Istanbul. After the radio station was sold to a TV channel and changed its genre, DJ Tarkan continued playing his radio sets at FG till May 2007. His reputation in Turkey was spreading and the number of people appreciating his sound - increasing with every event. The big break came in 2002 with the DJ of the Year award.
DJ Tarkan was sponsored to play eclectic house sets, which he sharply forms depending on the time, the venue and the crowd. His unique mixing style cemented his fan-base in Turkey, where he is still frequently invited to play gigs in different cities. His creativity and talent was appreciated by the crowds and he was named ‘Number One DJ in Turkey’ for 3 consecutive years.
Stimulated by this success, DJ Tarkan decided to spend more time on productions and releasing tracks, based on years of musical experience. His productions and remixes were included in the tracklists and charts of world's well known DJ's like: Tiesto, Paul Oakenfold, Armin van Buuren, Sasha, Hernan Cattaneo, Nick Warren, Deep Dish, Roger Sanchez, Sander Kleinenberg, Anthony Pappa, Dave Seaman, Danny Howells, Steve Lawler, Seb Fontaine, Markus Schulz, Lee Burridge, to name a few.
The momentum continued with bookings from different countries all over the world and in 2006, DJ Tarkan was voted Number 78 in the world by DJ Magazine's most important poll for dance music.
While doing collaborative productions, Tarkan became close friends with V-SAG from Greece. They both went on tours together and the Turkish-Greek friendship resulted in the No Smoking Recordings label, which is intended to only release the highest standard of music. DJ Tarkan and V-Sag have initiated a campaign for the understanding of the music "as is", giving people the opportunity to discover the true meaning of music in its purest form instead of "chemically enhanced fun".
At present, DJ Tarkan is a monthly host of his “NO SMOKING” radio show at Frisky Radio – one of the world’s most popular radio stations for independent DJ’s and producers. While in Turkey, he is a resident at Power XL Extra Lounge, where he plays ten hours per week, aired on FM and on the internet. Furthermore, DJ Tarkan is doing guest mixes for a variety of radios and is playing live in clubs all around the world.
DJ Tarkan has released one mixed compilation called “Chapter One” and his next volume “Chapter Two” is currently on the way out. What is more, his brand new video clip for the track “Deep Dive in Istanbul” is already finished is being played exclusively on MTV. This track will also be included in the ‘Chapter Two’ compilation. Tarkan’s first video was for the track "In a Dream" - also played on MTV!
