PROPER partying returns to SWG3 this weekend, after a barren post-Hogmanay period that saw precisely zero tradionally “big” clubbing events lightning up Finnieston’s favourite warehouse venue. Save for a handful of intimate wee events, it has been eerily quiet down in what is usually Glasgow’s most vibrant after-hours cul-de-sac.

Last week’s ‘90s house fundraiser for the Glasgow Mental Health Association was about as banging as it got. Needless to say, it has been a tough couple of weeks.

But – cue the celebratory trumpets – as of this weekend, it’s back to hard-nosed, gurning, fists-in-the-air fare.

Back to feeling the reassuring gut-punch of the kickdrum and the communal euphoria that comes with being part of a big, sweaty room packed with a few hundred others on the same vibe. It couldn’t have come quick enough.

Tonight’s Powerhaus isn’t quite all of that – in fact, it probably couldn’t be more low-key – but it’s the first party of the year in the venue’s imposing warehouse space. The closing do for the cutting-edge Into The New contemporary art festival, this is a party that bills itself as “an interrogation of sleepless city living, corporate exhaustion and how the 9-5 working day drives the 11-3 party scene.” It juxtaposes live performance with the club environment – so expect a side of chin-stroking discourse to go along with the four-hour set from DJ Sofay.

Dojo’s Winter Party is next up – that’s fronted by Mark Fazzini, Darran McNeil and Neil Robertson, and promises a night of dark, atmospheric house and techno in the complex’s smallest space.

The real highlights make up Saturday’s double-header, though.

In the Warehouse, Bristol duo My Nu Leng bring the kind of ridiculously wobbly, grime-inflected UK bass that can loosen essential muscles and knock hats to the floor with its pulsating, powerful vibrations. In the TV Studio, local promotion crew Let’s Go Back transports clubbers straight to the classic dancefloors of the ‘80s, calling on veteran DJs Bosco, Rob Mason and JP to do so. These guys were spinning records first time round, so look forward to a joyful marriage of the decade’s classic floor fillers mixed in with elastic Italo disco and extended Paradise Garage edits. Only a time machine could get you closer to experiencing what it was like back in those heady days.

• Powerhaus, tonight, SWG3, 10pm – 2am, free

• Dojo Winter Party, Friday, The Poetry Club, 9pm – 2am, £7

• My Nu Leng, Saturday, SWG3, 10pm – 2am, £14

• Let’s Go Back to the ‘80s, Saturday, SWG3, 10pm – 2am, sold out

The French DJ Jennifer Cardini is a veteran of the club scenes in Paris and Cologne, having spent over 10 years building up a reputation as an experimental and sophisticated selector. She returns to the Subbie on Saturday night after tearing the place a new one back in August, when she was one of the highlights of the Sub Club Soundsystem weekender.

“After her incredible sets at Sub Club Soundystem and the after party last year, we knew we had to get Cardini back sooner rather than later,” residents Harri and Dom proclaim breathlessly on the event page for this one.

Also looking good for Saturday night is Pariah’s appearance at La Cheetah. The enigmatic UK DJ is better known as one half of Karenn, his gritty live techno project that he creates with his mate Blawan. But his solo work is diverse, taking in molten, bassy jams, polished dubstep and, of course, the boundary-pushing techno that should be the order of the night here. With gigs at Fabric and Berghain coming up, expect nothing but a dark, thumping drive through the deepest recesses of the genre.

• Lezure Third Birthday with Pariah, Saturday, La Cheetah, 11pm – 3am, £7

• Subculture with Jennifer Cardini, Saturday, Sub Club, 11pm – 3am, £5