He has also composed music for Turkey's top bands and musicians, including Mazhar Fuat Özkan, Sezen Aksu,[3] and Sertab Erener.

His 2005 album If is a collaboration featuring bass guitarist Anthony Jackson and percussionist Horacio "EI Negro" Hernandez.

The album is a wide-ranging set that at first seems like jazz/rock fusion, but also includes the influences of Turkish music, some acoustic interludes, and sections that are completely unclassifiable.

The album features Atakoğlu on keyboards, Anthony Jackson on bass, Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez on drums, Mike Stern and Wayne Krantz on guitars and Bob Franceschini on saxophone.

Atakoğlu's scoring includes the adaptation of Metin Kaçan's novel Ağır Roman (East Side Story) into a musical which was performed locally in Turkey as well as at Hollywood's Ford Amphitheater in August 2006 by the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet.