Hardware+software newbie questions: help with music setup

[Nick <ParadoxQuine@gmail.com>]

Hey everyone,

I'm new to the list. I have been into music for ages but never had the money to get any equipment so my Evolution MK-461C and a stolen copy of Reason 3 were my only tools until I got into college and got a job :P Anyways, now I use reason 4 (legally) and my same keyboard and I recently bought a Kaoss Pad. I'd really like to get a setup that would allow me to do the following (in the long term order I wish to be able to do them):

- DJ with bpm syncing for smooth song transitions and do effects using my kaoss pad, eventually leading to mashup DJing
- I'd like to turn the songs I DJ into new tracks on the fly using looping techniques and incorporate some of my own sounds via reason (possibly rewired to ableton Live if that's a good idea, I'm currently trialing Live).
- Eventually, I'd like to create completely original drum'n'bass/breakbeat/electronica music as a live looper (and then come to the santa cruz live looping festival, where I first saw looping, and where I'm from :)

I don't have a huge budget right now but I'm working so if there is something I definitely need to purchase, I can work towards earning it soon. I'd like to know what software and hardware you think I should get and plan to get in order to achieve those three things, with the eventual completely original live composing goal as by far the most important one. I prefer doing effects via the kaoss pad by far because I enjoy using hardware more than software, and so I'm also wondering if it might be a good idea just to get a second kaoss pad [thus giving me 8 loops and allowing me to stack effects]?

Thanks in advance!
- Quine

PS: my computer hardware is an iMac, and I also have a macbook. I am a software engineer so learning curve with software utilities shouldn't be a concern.

PPS: is this list archived anywhere? I don't like my name getting archived on the internet so I'll use my pseudonym for the time being.