Mutandina hails from Buenos Aires and has never played a stateside gig. They defy easy classification; my first reaction is to call them a jam band, but they could just as easily be classified as Latin rock. To further confuse matters, some of their most infectious music is straight-up funk, and “Quaker,” arguably their best track, has obvious disco influences. Their label bills Mutandina as a “decidedly hip blend of salsa and funk, infused with distinctly Argentine elements,” a sales pitch I find surprisingly accurate. Their first and only album was released by Magnatune in 2005, but they remain active in the Argentine music scene.

Mutandina’s self-titled debut opens with Juego, a funky synth-driven jam with a bass line that would feel at home on a George Clinton track. The song starts with some fairly pedestrian guitar vamping, but takes off when the synth comes in at around 20 seconds. Listen to the track once or twice and the chorus will be stuck in your head all day, even if you don’t understand Spanish. Mutandina is at their best when they stick to up-tempo funk, as the do in Juego, Dale and Quaker. Quaker opens with a synth line worthy of Daft Punk, a bass line reminiscent of Chic’s Le Freak, and a four-on-the-floor drum pattern that’s straight out of disco. The song has a catchy melody, a jammy structure, a strong beat, and an extended sax solo.

On Mutandina’s more downtempo tracks, such as Caminos and Desamor, their songwriting can seem stagnant and their vocals become crooning. Even in these tracks, however, their musicianship is impressive.

Mutandina is led by Matias “Mato” Ruiz, who writes and arranges in addition to providing guitar, tenor sax, and lead vocals. Ruiz is joined by Christian “Turco” Fahiad on drums and percussion, Nicolas Luis Humberto “Rigo” Quesada on guitar, Marcos “Mariomarqueti” Archetti on bass, and Ariel “Cordero” Polenta on pretty much anything with keys. At some point, everyone but Fahiad provides backing vocals and Polenta also receives an arranging credit.

In their self-titled record, Mutandina successfully creates a distinctive sound and impresses with their originality, musicianship, and all-out grooviness. Mutandina is not a perfect record, but it is an impressive one. Mutandina will probably never play a show in Providence, New England, or even the United States, but they are definitely worth checking out. Mutandina is available on iTunes and Lala. Magnatune, Mutandina’s label, also has a stream of the entire album on their site.

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Unknown Quantity is a series in which I review bands you’ve probably never heard of, no matter how much you read about music. In order to be eligible for this feature, a band must not be reviewed in either Pitchfork or Rolling Stone. Some weeks I’ll revisit a lesser-known band from decades ago, other times I’ll hype a band that is so new they haven’t released a physical CD. Unknown Quantity knows no geographic constraints either: one week will feature a band from Providence and the next will highlight an act from Provence, France. I’m always looking for new music; if you have a demo you’re proud of or think a band deserves some recognition, leave a link in the comments and I’ll take a listen.