Coming from Peru, a country that has been restricted to various stereotypes, her musical creation takes root in the Afro-Peruvian rhythms from the Pacific Coast of her country (music from the descendants of the black slaves that were brought to Peru by the Spanish Kingdom) and the delicate aesthetics of the "criolla y limeña" tradition. La Machete's music is a fusion of a traditional and contemporary image of Peru that opens breaches on unknown cultural aspects. La Machete offers us a lively and modern glance on the afro-Peruvian rhythms. If the Creole and Black music from Peru are the roots of her music, they are not enough to identify and describe it. With subtlety, she revisits waltzes, marineras, landós and festejos from the afro traditional repertory as well as with her own compositions. La Machete paints her music with her own spirit and with the colours of all the other melodies and harmonies which live it. Polyrhythmic patterns and a stunning mix of melodies in which one hears pop, jazz and voices of the people sharing history and musical roots as well as these of the sister countries Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Cuba and so many others...
Concerning her lyrics, fantastic or banal stories become pretexts to thoughts about the daily life or unexpected events from here and there. Their clearness combines with imagination and a "with-no-kindness" derision that carry us, uplifting joy and passion.

Born in Lima - capital of Peru -, Mirtha Guerrero was lulled by el Zambo Cavero's voice and the sound of his cajón. This giant of the Musica Negra
was playing on Sundays on her parents' neighbours' patio and since then Mirtha decided she would play music. First steps on television and already the love of performing.
Thereafter came the years of studies and the music became an engagement - A political engagement. Outstanding musical meetings with Andrés Soto, Felix Casaverde and Kiri Escobar followed... and her first concerts in her city, Lima, troubled by the difficult 80's.
In 1989, Mirtha arrived in France and for a while her music remained in parenthesis... travels, studies, meetings... In 1999, to find and reinvent her way, she chose the machete as a symbol to identify her way of living the music. Used by the black slaves for both work and fight, the machete is a survival tool and when she performs, Mirtha shares with us this symbol of freedom through her voice balancing between healthy euphoria and sweet melancholy. According to Mirtha, "over all, this symbol is a will to release new territories, to take shortcuts, to transcending conditions and destinies, with my music." Several musicians will take part in the musical adventure that grew rich along with the various collaborations. Guitars and voices consequently built themselves based on the afro-Peruvian rhythmic roots. Percussions, congas, cajón and bass lines portray this distant land. Mirtha's compositions dare and expose themselves, punctuated by reinterpretations of some classics of the Afro-Peruvian repertory. In 2005, a new "ida y vuelta" brings her back to Peru, into the cradle of the Musica Negra, a small village of the pacific coast, El Carmen. There she meets a living memory of this music, Don Amador Ballumbrosio, who encourages her to keep on working against the winds and the tides and reminds her that "guitars shouldn't be lent because instruments also have a soul."
In 2006, her work grows as a personal project and to mark the revival while keeping the same course, Mirtha chooses to be known as and actually to become La Machete. Therefore, still leading with her voice and her guitar, La Machete keeps on going while being musically well surrounded: on keyboard and clarinet, Vicente Fritis enriches and develops the harmonic work carried out on Mirtha's compositions and on the arrangements of her traditional tunes. To make a success of the polyrhythm, typical ingredient of the Afro-Peruvian music, the percussionist Jorge Costagliola joins them, with strength and smoothness, with his various percussions: cajón, congas, bongós, caixa, cymbals, bells... The rhythmic support and the groove are driven by Baptiste Germser... with his bass guitar.
In 2008, during a professional journey in Peru, La Machete records a new album, entitled "Un Batir de Alas" including six of her own compositions. She chose to be accompanied by Yuri Juarez (guitar), Joscha Oetz (double bass) and Marcos Mosquera (cajón).
In August, 2009, she returns to Peru, with the trumpeter Y. Giaume, for a creation project in Lima with Peruvians musicians (see biographies infra) organized in collaboration with the French association La Brecha, the Alliance Française of Lima, the Embassy of France in Peru and SPEDIDAM (French association for the protection of the musician rights). The project is based on French-speaking and Peruvian popular song: a footbridge between their styles and their traditions. The creation bear fruits: after touring the country with three concerts, a week recording in studio give birth to a new 11 tracks album, entitled " De Verdes... y Maduras ", including 9 of her own compositions.

In collaboration with the same partners, the album will be launched in Paris, with the Peruvian musicians on September 23rd, 2010. The launch in Peru is planned for November 2010.