looking for gear advice

[brummy]

So I haven't done anything yet, but I wanna start producing my own form of {censored}ed up/noisy electronic music (that isn't dubstep) and eventually learn how to dj well enough so i can actually play my creations somewhere other than my bedroom. I already have all the gear i think ill need for the production side of this project, but im pretty damn clueless when it comes to dj gear. Most the clubs around me don't have dick for equipment other than just a pa system if that, and the few times ive been at festivals/parties in the area, the djs were using either cd decks or a laptop with a controller. i dont have nearly enough vinyl to justify getting turntables, and im way too much of a hands on type to be strictly a laptop dj, so cd decks are definitely the way i wanna go.

 

i know pioneer seems to be what most people lust after, and i was looking at a couple CDJ-200s, but theyre pretty expensive for my budget at least. im not looking for too much in terms of bells and whistles. in fact, i dont even need it to be able to play mp3s. are there any other decks out there that are respectable enough to consider or should i just plan on spending 800 on those two pioneer ones?

 

unfortunately, im even more clueless as far as mixers go. what should i look for in a mixer if all i wanna do is simple beat matching/mixing? what are some good brands to check out and which ones should i stay away from?

 

 

thanks in advance

[lomark]

I'm by no means an expert, but just chiming in since no one else has. I've dabbled in a bit of scratching on and off for the last couple years and my setup is pretty simple: A mixer connected to a turntable and a mini jack which I usually plug into my iPod to play beats off of. My turntable and mixer are both made by Numark. I know you mentioned you didn't want to go the vinyl route but as far as mixers go, if you're just starting out you don't need anything too fancy. The only feature you can probably benefit from is making sure it's got an optical fader, other than that not much else off the top of my head.