Singer-producer Aaron-Carl has cancer, cancels European tour

Aaron-Carl Ragland, who for nearly 15 years has been producing a musical hybrid made from house, techno and electro and is most closely associated with a funky dance sub-genre called ghetto-tech or booty, was diagnosed with lymphoma earlier this week.

Ragland was scheduled to begin a European tour this month. That was canceled when he was hospitalized last week with what was originally thought to be an aneurysm in his right kidney. Doctors did more tests and determined that the hemorrhaging was instead due to a hematoma. They also found cancer cells in the network of vessels that make up the lymphatic system, a part of the body’s immune system.

Ragland posted a video reaction to his diagnosis here.

I spoke with Aaron-Carl Friday and Saturday and he appeared in good spirits. “I feel empowered by all this. And scared. But I know I have to fight my way through this. I have been challenged before, but this is the biggest challenge I’ve ever had to face.”

He said that he will know on Tuesday (Sept. 28) whether he has Hodgkin or non-Hodgkin lymphoma and what stage the cancer is in. The type of lymphoma will determine the course of treatment.

Aaron-Carl is one of Detroit’s most engaging performers. His first break came when he recorded a single on Mike Banks’ Soul City, a house music subsidiary of techno-heavy Underground Resistance. Personal, descriptive homoerotic dance tracks like “Down” and “Dance Naked” set Ragland apart from his peers at the beginning of his career and his new material continues to do so. His popularity has seen a spike since he launched a group called W.A.R.M.T.H. — which stands for “we are revolutionizing the movement of techno and house” — that attempts to bring dance music communities together.

We wish Aaron-Carl the best, we are pulling for his speedy recovery, and will keep Subterraneans’ readers updated as more information becomes available.