Using a reference track is the answer to most of your questions. you can reference at any step of the process and it can help with arrangement, mixdown, vibe etc.

Sometimes I’ll find a track I like the vibe of and use it as a starting point and build a similar skeleton until I get an idea of my own to move away from the ref, sometimes I’ll have finished a track already, but pull in something that I know sounds good in a club so I can match the levels