Of course reusing some old ideas is a best way to go (and usually a prerequisite for sensible music). Like Stravinski said: "The one who doesn't steal, doesn't have ears", but I've ranted many times when people do 100% exact copies of existing tracks without adding anything of their own. It's like they're afraid of dying if they invent something new to that genre.
What I've meant by making something new is exactly what you say: Expanding boundaries. Inventing something totally new is quite impossible unless you make total cacophony that no-one likes (except those who try to get ego boost by listening to music that everybody else dislikes), so you'll end up combining the existing things in a new way to get something new. It's like chemistry. You have chemicals and combining chemicals you create new compunds and combining these new compounds you get more new chemicals, etc.
I still believe copying exactly what others do just puts you as part of a big gray mass. To get noticed from that mass you need to be lucky, have contacts or have already a name on the scene. I could bet my arm that the best way for a total newbie to stand out is to make something new and personal. And I believe that making something new is also more fun that copying everything like a medieval monk.
A millionth time: Be creative and be silly so that you'd be noticed! Stand out the crowd! Electronic music need creative people, not a bunch of copycats and monks. Avoid killing the electronic music and make something new today.
Edit: Copying existing stuff is brilliant for learning basic tricks. It's very good practise for a beginner and that's it. Just for practice. But it seems though that some people just get stuck on that practice stage for years.
While making some sandwiches I invented a brilliant analogy for this whole creativity issue: Imagine we would have a juggler circus. In that circus there are five jugglers who all juggle with bowling pins. The circus master puts up an ad "Juggler wanted. Juggling trials on next thursday". The trial day comes and there are two young canditates. The first canditate stands up in the spotlight and starts to juggle with bowling pins. He's very good. He can throw the pins behind his back. Actually he's even as good as the current jugglists at the circus. The circus master is very impressed by this young talent. The turn for second canditate comes. He also juggles with bowling pins, but before he starts he lights the pins on fire. He's not as good juggler as the previous guy. He can't throw the pins behind his back and he's not as fluent juggler as the previous one. If you'd be the circus master, which one would you pick?
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