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Nightclubbing was recorded at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, across various sessions in 1980 and 1981. The musicians recorded so many backing tracks that some of those used on Nightclubbing, including 'Pull Up To The Bumper', dated back to sessions for Warm Leatherette. Drummer Sly Dunbar told Joe Muggs of Fact magazine in 2014 that he had good memories of the sessions: 'It was free, it was so loose and so groovy, you know. I enjoyed it all the time we were there'.

Keyboard player Wally Badarou has said that there were, however, initial tensions in the studio with the musicians wondering if the combination would work. Mutual respect was soon established, but no one realised that with Nightclubbing they were creating a classic.

Chris Blackwell, who co-produced with Alex Sadkin, would bring in cassettes of songs and play them to the musicians. If they or Grace Jones didn't get something usable after a few attempts they would be abandoned. Blackwell was keen that Jones was an active presence in the studio and a part of the process even during sessions of instrumental overdubbing. He also put a large picture of her on the studio wall for initial sessions as another way of focusing the musicians.

'If you listen back to those tracks, how smooth the vocal is, how each part fits in, you can hear that everybody was just grooving, even the engineer – he could balance the song perfectly, even while we were playing it live', said Dunbar.

'It shows you how everyone feeling good in the studio makes a good record. I still listen to the tracks myself... I'll still grab people and say "Listen to this track!".'