Nate Foulks isn’t called DJ Vilas Park Sniper for nothing. He’s a home-grown Madisonian turntablist with musical adroitness that’ll have you bobbing your head before you know what happened.

Foulks went to Madison West High School where he played in reggae and funk bands, but it wasn’t long before he began looking for a new musical outlet. “I really was interested in going after my own sound. As soon as we started recording, me and my two buddies I started with were interested in putting scratch sounds on it. It all kind of started from there.” Blending hip hop, dance hall reggae, funk, and soul influences, the Vilas Park Sniper has the arsenal to take on any venue.

“I try to respond to the atmosphere that’s in the place. My number one asset is I’m able to change my style based on who’s there. It’s almost kind of like fishing. You throw out a couple songs, and you don’t get any bites. All of the sudden, you play a song and heads start bobbing out of nowhere you start seeing people’s heads nodding, and you’re like ‘Okay’,” he grins, “They’re biting on this.”

And that’s what comes through the most with Foulks. He has a varied musical taste and wide range of influences that makes him adaptable to any venue and can get any audience dancing. “I love new music, I love old music, and I love everything in between. I love Latin, I love reggae, and I love all that stuff. I’m into musicians who don’t completely limit themselves [to one genre].”

The turntablist cites local DJs Mike Carlson and Nick Nice as major influences. “I’ve definitely learned a lot from [Carlson and Nice] on the business angle of it, how to be professional, and the technical angle.” Musically, he draws inspiration from the Bay area turntablist scene, as well as funk artists like George Clinton and Billy Cobham.

Foulks spent some time spinning at parties in the Bay Area before returning in 2000 to his hometown of Madison. After playing with local hip hop group The Crest, he began doing short sets between hip hop shows at some local venues. “After a while, a bar or club owner came up to me and said ‘You wanna do a night?’ and that’s how it took off,” Foulks said.

Since then, Foulks has been playing the local scene at venues like Madison’s and Natt Spil, and worked with artists like Rob Deez, Lucha Libre, and Intelliscope. “I’m open to play with any artist. All they’ve gotta do is call me. I’ll show up and play with them,” he laughs.

Foulks also DJs for Breakin’ The Law, a yearly breakdancing competition in Madison. He’s also DJed for 93.1 jAMZ’s Friday Night Fiyah, which plays hip hop, R&B, dancehall and throwback selections.

What sets Vilas Park Sniper apart from other Madison DJs? Well, Foulks has a different approach to modern DJing than some of his contemporaries.

“No matter what I spin, whether it’s reggae, whether it’s rock, whatever it is, I do it with old-school hip hop tricks. With turntablism. Even if it’s polka, I’m going to fill in some sort of polka scratch.”

Foulks recalls playing for a Jewish wedding, when he was given a one minute Hava Nagila recording and was asked to keep it going for 10 minutes. “I had to kind of do these tricks to keep it going. No matter what I’m playing, I do it in kind of [an old school] hip hop style.” Sniper’s distinction is steeped in more of a technical style than your typical DJ, who would generally focus more on simple blending and dropping club beats.

Even with this classic style, Foulks manages to be modest about this. “[Many other DJs aren’t] doing as much technical stuff. I’m not saying I’m the best, and I’m not saying I’m the only one doing it, but it’s a small scene.”

On breaking into the scene, Foulks has some advice for aspiring Madison DJs. “Go to MC Audio. It’s a great place to get information and to grow as a DJ.”

The Vilas Park Sniper’s next show in Madison will be on February 14th at Natt Spill, starting at 10 PM. He’s an artist who’s played everything from rock to reggae to hip hop and everything in between. If you’re looking for some old school technical turntablism, go check him out. You’re definitely going to hear something you like.