Discovering Synthwave

Through Hotline Miami (HM2 specifically). Played the first game, didn't pay that much attention to its soundtrack at the time  (love it now) but liked the game enough that I had to play its sequel. Hotline Miami 2's soundtrack stuck with me. I was introduced to Carpenter Brut, Perturbator, Mitch Murder and Mega Drive through the game and have then come across more and more artists I through those over the past two and half years or so.

Not gonna lie.  I'd heard some synthwave stuff before.  But what really got me into researching things was the movie Kung Fury.  So much fun, and a good intro to what's out there.

https://www.mixcloud.com/NightwaveFM/octobernetic-2-with-the-voids-erin-n-scott/

great mix from badass DJ couple Erin and Scott Void from cbus ohio

I first heard my taste of synthwave through hotline miami kinda like nihilograth but i played the first one over and over again and the main thing that kept me coming back was the soundtrack. After that I started to see synthwave in a bunch of different places. A lot of videogames have been using synthwave or adjacent styles in their OST's and that really drew me in. After that I started to seek it out on my own. A lot of youtube rabbit holes have brought me some really awesome tracks that I still listen to today.

Then hotline miami 2 came out and I fell in love all over again haha. The soundtracks for both of the games were amazing and I still listen to them today. I also do some video game soundtracks and it has always been super inspiring to see all of the different artists on both of the games really create a really deep atmosphere with those nostalgiac sounds.

Thinking back I might have heard some synthwave before those but I didn't really get into it until after HM came out.

I hear the Hotline Miami thing a fair bit, that game did wonders for synthwave's visibility

Yeah it did! Before that I feel like their wasn't a whole lot outside of a few other exceptions. I feel like I first got a very small taste of the sort of synthwave aesthetic from grand theft auto vice city and movies like blade runner. GTA:VC was just oozing with that kind of aesthetic charm. 
Now I feel like there is so much of those youtube synthwave comps, spotify playlists, and video games that it is pretty easy to stumble into some synthwave or adjacent genres! Especially with games like cyberpunk 2077, maximum action, and cloud punk.
Movies and other media have also been heavily influenced in the past 5 years I feel like as well just look towards stranger things, the new blade runner, and other smaller videos and images that have surfaced through social media and small indie houses. 

Yeah definitely. I gotta be fair those compilations on youtube are the modern equivalent of those breakdown compilations from 2006 helping to make the genre boom. Prime Thanatos springs to mind, especially where I appear on a couple of his compilations :D

And The uptick in film and game media adopting synthwave aesthetics, or in some cases being just outright synthwave/outrun/retro-futurist has definitely had a knock on effect. I just hope the space doesn't get stagnant with everything starting to look too generic. I've seen plenty to affirm those fears but thankfully not so much in the main stream.

The Midnight is one of my FAVES musically and aesthetically. So stoked to see them this Fall :) they're great live. Highly recommend!