THERE was a time when eager partygoers across the Corporate Area did not need an occasion to go out. As Asylum — later rebranded as The Building — Fiction and Quad built strong brands that ultimately became the pulse of Kingston’s nightlife. The nightclub itself became the occasion.

There were designated nights, favourite selectors, and packed dancefloors. Patrons came for the music, the people, and the possibilities. The allure of that era was simple: You just had to be there.

Today, Kingston certainly has not stopped partying. The entertainment calendar remains filled with events, weekly parties, brunches, fêtes, street dances, and increasingly elaborate experiences. Still, a lot has changed.

Instead of returning to the same nightclub every weekend, patrons now follow promoters, party brands, and concepts from one location to another. Increasingly, the event — rather than the venue — has become the destination.

That is something organisers of The Return of The Building are hoping to recapture when they take over the National Arena on August 29. Promoters say they will attempt to resurrect not only the name of one of dancehall’s memorable nightspots, but a style of partying they believe Jamaica has been missing.

For Jason Mitchell, one of the event’s organisers, that starts with putting music back at the centre of the experience.

“Jamaica is the epicentre of dancehall, music, culture and just a good time. So as a country that doesn’t have many clubs, it’s important that we get that experience in one space,” he said.

The objective, he explained, is to recreate several elements of the traditional nightclub experience, with particular emphasis on its musical feeling.

“A lot of persons missed out. Some people really want [it] and we really want that feeling back… and we’re just here to provide,” Mitchell said.

But for Mitchell, the importance of the nightclub extends beyond simply providing somewhere to party. At their peak, these spaces also served as laboratories for Jamaican music, where selectors could read a dancefloor in real time and artistes could get first-hand insight into how listeners responded to their latest releases.

It is a function Mitchell believes remains important.

“The nightclub is the perfect place to test out your music, to see how people respond to it, if they enjoy it — to make sure if you go back to work, go back to the studio, you make another hit,” he said. “It’s a great space to test out your music and for the people to just enjoy.”

That music-first experience, he believes, is among the things that have been lost as nightlife has evolved.

“People just don’t focus on the music. The music is everything,” he said, reminiscing on the days when spaces like The Building were premier party destinations.

“Back then all you had was the music, your friends, and the drinks. There was no social media, there was no phones. You just had to have a good time and just focus on the music and the experience.”

It is a feeling Mitchell believes more Jamaicans are yearning to experience again, whether out of nostalgia or curiosity. He said reaction to the announcement of The Return of The Building has so far suggested an appetite among both those who experienced the nightclub in its heyday and those who missed it altogether.

“We expect people from all over — people who were there before, people [who] are just curious, people who even missed out from before, and persons who just want to experience it right now,” he said.

“Based on the comments we have been receiving we have a lot of persons reminiscing, sharing their past experiences of The Building, and just them wanting to relive that.”

On August 29, The Return of The Building will attempt to recreate some of the magic of one of Jamaica’s memorable nightlife eras. But for its organisers, the bigger question is whether that appetite can extend beyond a single night.

Mitchell believes it can.

“Jamaica is a hub for partying, enjoyment and good music, and I see where the need is there for us to have something on a consistent basis so persons can enjoy nightlife like they used to,” he said.