Keyboard, Controller And Sound Card Advice? Options

[airbag]

Hello, I am new to making music on my mac. I used to use an old Tascam 4 track player back in the year dot.
I have a macbook pro here and logic express and garageband installed on it.

I am wanting to start to make my own music, mostly electronic music with great basslines, drums and guitar sounds, keyboard sounds etc. I would lilke to ustilse the keyboard or mouse/software interface for playing these virtual instruments and think I would also like to be able to record some vocals or guitars in in the future.

Can I please have some advice on what equipment I would require to start to make layered music with these different instruments on my mac.
I feel I need a nice keyboard (possibly portable one?) some great samples and software for drums, organs, guitars etc and the right sound card to get my music laid down as professionally as possible.

Many thanks in advance for any information about this. Also I am in the UK so any links to onlline stores to purchase this equipment from might be useful also.
Thanks alot for any advice,
Al

[Mac Daddy]

mortalengines,

not a compliment, a fact... You are The Master helping the little "Grasshopper" in to the World of "Computer Music"... I always enjoy what you have to say, I fortunately have not had to seek advice, I just pay for a Service Visit... Saves my feeble emotion, had a RME ADI-8 disconnected today. It did not effect my main Set-Up however I can't use any Mastering Hardware. Gone for ten days... Costs? I'll let you know but the Service Technologist said thirty or fourty Euro. Yes please, if it means using several thousand dollars worth of High End Hardware... This was not a Mac Problem.

By the way I love my Mac G5 Dual 2GHz. It has up until now been flawless. I had to replace the Super Drive, I did so with a "Good One" Macintosh uses passable CD/DVD Players, to keep down costs. Other than that it has been running pretty much Non-Stop. "Damn, I know something is gonna go wrong now"!

About your music being "Old" there is no such thing. Music is "Timeless". Tecnology, sound and Instruments change, but music remains the same, not old, not new...

"Forgive me Master, your humble Grasshopper does not wish to instruct, only to remind you of things you have acquired and stored in your vast wisdom and knowledge have only become new understanding for me, hence I speak, probably too long and loud. Music just is.