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The sweeping repetition of that baseline, accompanied by the sound of two quick kisses.

When in 2002 Australian actress turned “singer” Holly Valance released “Kiss Kiss”, it was a runaway success. It was played, replayed and eventually done to death on radio stations and music channels all over the globe. It made an instant phenomenon of Neighbours’ former “Flick” – however Holly Vukadinovic (honestly, that’s her real name) never managed to garner the same steam as that other peachy-bummed former Neighbour, Miss Minogue.

But the minute I heard the first few bars, I thought, hold on one dingo-catching, Fosters-swigging, Home and Away hating, Harold Bishop-ing minute! I’ve heard this before!

“Kiss Kiss” shot to number one in the UK and in the artist’s native Australia, the song was nominated for an ARIA Music Award and Valance, at least temporarily, was a household name.

I however, was left scratching my head.

Some claimed it was a cover of Stella Soleil’s “Kiss Kiss”. True, the American singer did release the smoochy track a year earlier in 2001.

But other’s cited Spanish-Morrocan singer Hakim’s version titled “La Muchacha Turka”, whilst some looked to Russia’s Filipp Kirkorov’s 1998 recording of “Kiss”.

Whether Valance, Hakim, Soleil or Kirkorov. Whether Hong Kong’s E02, Egypt’s Samy Mansour, Japan’s Kentaro Hayami or Bulgaria’s Ruslan Mainov – all of the above were simply butcherings of the original track by an artist no one seems to know.

I remember the first time I heard “Simarik” (the original title meaning “a diva” or “spoilt woman”). I was on holiday visiting family in much sunnier climes and it was on the television. If I remember correctly the singer was being chased through the cobbled streets of some non-descript European town by increasingly more and more women, all desperate to get their lips on his stubble. Finally he takes refuge round a corner and as the duped women scurry by, he sees a cute little girl with the face of a cherub. Of course, he plants a kiss on the girl’s cherry-blossom cheek and the music video ends as it began, with the sound of that kiss.

But it seems after planting that iconic kiss on that rosiest of cheeks, the singer, for the rest of world at least, disappeared into obscurity. He stepped back out onto the streets and vanished into the hustle and bustle of European street life.

Well not quite… at least not if you follow world music.

Tarkan is a phenomenon. It was “Simarik” that made him a phenomenon in his native Turkey, where his electric blue eyes and catwalk model looks literally meant that guys wanted to be him, and girls wanted to be with him.

He was born in Alzey, West Germany, and raised in Turkey where he’s single-handedly signalled a seismic shift in the way popular music is made.

Often controversial for his use of sexual and romantic content, the media in his homeland have dubbed him the Prince of Pop – an epithet that, in all honesty, is richly deserved. After all, releasing several platinum selling albums with an estimated 29 million sales is no mean feat.

He’s one of only a handful of European singers that has managed chart success across three continents without singing in English.

In fact, the Washington Post described Tarkan’s effect on Turkey to be akin to that of Elvis in 1950’s America. It’s no wonder then that Rhapsody listed him as a key artist in the history of European pop music, with “Simarik” as a keystone track that moved the genre forward.

But Tarkan is more than a one hit wonder.

Over the years, he has become the epitome of Turkish pop, and the trend of it obtaining an audience outside Turkey, can be easily laid at his feet. His work has consistently maintained popularity, with his 2007 studio album “Metamorfoz” selling over a quarter of a million copies in the first two weeks of release – an unprecedented number for a market saturated with piracy and bootlegging.

Tarkan remains a market leader on the Turkish music scene. He has improvised and innovated the genre into the 21st century while at the same time incorporating traditional Turkish beats and instruments, reinventing the classic sound.

Sezen Aksu, the writer behind “Simarik” teamed up with Tarkan again on his next album. One child of this very successful marriage was “Sikidim” (Shake), a track that incorporated traditional Turkish rhythms with loose slang lyrics.

In the music video, Tarkan dances bare-chested. Though pretty tame by the standards of Holly Valance (who used flesh coloured underwear to appear to be dancing naked in “Kiss Kiss”) it’s hard to believe that this was considered to be daring in the still conservative Turkish music industry.

Taking the next step in trying to shock Turkey, the video to “Seytan Azapta” used clips from his tour where dancers stripped him naked on stage. As the media had a field day in both deifying and vilifying the groundbreaking artist, he posed naked for the most popular Turkish magazines of the period, eventually becoming the first male to be featured on the cover of of the domestic edition of Cosmo.

Tarkan’s sound is hard to describe. His dance and urban numbers are a mash-up of western and eastern influences – Arabesque and turkish sounds meld seamlessly into western strings and electronica.

His more recent albums are testament to his music’s global appeal. 2001’s Karma is an awesome offering. Tracks like “Kuzu Kuzu” (“Like A Lamb”) and “Hüp” (“Whoop”) are dance floor fillers in world music clubs (if there were such a thing) and Sorma Qalbim is a slow sexy ballad that shows off the versatility in his voice.

A few years back Tarkan tried to break into the US by releasing an English language album. Sadly, it didn’t do well and just goes to show the snobbery in the mainstream music industry. Like Shakira before him, it seems if you want to make it big, sell your tongue. Cut it out from the root and burn the bloody stump that remains. Forget your cultural allegiances, and simply amalgamate into the sickly green slush that is commercial popular music of the bubblegum industry.

The fact that Tarkan is not more well known around the world is a sad indictment of the way the world is. The fact that his most well know hit and signature track “Simarik” has been shredded and butchered by meaningless artists from country to country to make a quick buck for their flash-in-the-pan existences while he remains unknown to the wider world is a disgrace on the music industry.

But then I guess the less people there are that know him, it makes his music all the more special for those of us that do.

Whirl away!

FunkyDervish