Venues like Thorne, Pitches etc IMO played more "Modern" than crossover from what I remember. They had no boundaries but the majority of the DJ's were very forward thinking.
There is an excellent article in the last N-Soul from Brian Goucher about Thorne, well worth a read. In the article he writes of the announcement fromRod in issue 10 of Voices From The Shadows (1989)...."as of 1st of April, VFTS will be promoting Canal Tavern. It's the way forward; we're combining the best new indies with some of the most obscure 70' and 80's that you will ever hear."